Queen Of Fanelia
by Legendary Super Candyce
Summary: Sequel to Even Angels Fall. It's been two years since the war with Zaibach and a new threat has arisen. Can Folken, Adrina and the gang stop it before it's too late? COMPLETE!
1. Catching Up

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. I do own the characters I've created.  
  
This is a sequel to "Even Angels Fall." I hope you enjoy it!  
  
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In the garden of the palace, a lone figure sat upon a stone bench and stared at the flowing water erupting from the fountain in front of her. She wore a long, blue dress with a form fitting bodice and full skirt that was adorned with gold trim in the shape of a twisting dragon around the hem. Her chocolate hair fell down her back in shiny waved and, in such light, looked as if it had been streaked with fire. She turned her lavender eyes away from the fountain as a servant approached.  
  
"My Queen," the servant bowed low, "I have been sent to inform you that lunch is being served in the dining room."  
  
Adrina smiled at the young girl. "Thank you, Jenly."  
  
"You are welcome, M'lady." The girl bowed again and hurried back to the palace. Adrina stood and smoothed out her dress, then began to follow the same path the servant girl had taken.  
  
As she walked through the gardens, Adrina marveled at how quickly the plants had taken root after being completely destroyed. It had only been two years since Fanelia had been burned and already the gardens were more beautiful and lively than they had been before the attack. Likewise, the city was completely rebuilt and in most areas was better than it had ever been. The biggest change reconstruction wise in Fanelia was the palace. The former palace had been very small and plain for a palace, but when being rebuilt, Van decided he wanted a better residence than the rulers before him had inhabited. Many knew that the reason Van wanted a better palace was for Hitomi. He wanted to give her only the best, and he had. The palace was at least three times larger than the previous one had been and had taken a year and a half to finish. By the time it was completed, Van had decided her no longer desired to be King and had stepped down.  
  
After Folken's return, Van began relying on him for all the important decisions that had to be made. Van married Hitomi three months after the end of the war and devoted much of his time to her. Then, eleven months after they were married, Hitomi gave birth to their son Golan. After the birth of the child, Van began to neglect his Kingly duties and spent every spare moment with his wife and son. In the meantime, Folken and Adrina had been married and Folken all but claimed the throne in Fanelia as his younger brother ceased to care about the country. Van finally realized he was not cut out to be King and abdicated the throne to Folken. Now Folken was the King of Fanelia and Adrina was the Queen.  
  
As Adrina neared the palace, a rustling in the bushes along the path ahead of her caught her attention. She stopped and looked curiously as the bushes swayed and faint whispers were heard. She smiled when she saw two heads of hair, one short and green, the other longer and pink, and two sets of feline eyes. She looked away quickly as the eyes focused on her and continued down the path, past the spies. She sensed rather than heard the two of them leave the shrubbery and creep up behind her. They came closer and closer, until she could almost feel their breath on her neck. Now was her chance.  
  
Adrina spun around quickly and yelled "BOO!"  
  
Both cats stopped and screamed. Merle fell down out of fright while Zane stumbled back, surprised. Adrina began to laugh as the teenagers composed themselves and Zane pulled Merle to her feet.  
  
"That's not funny, Adrina!" Merle insisted and narrowed her midnight blue eyes at her sister, "You scared me half to death!"  
  
"Well, what were you going to do to me?" Adrina countered.  
  
"That's different!" Merle shot back.  
  
"Oh, I see," Adrina said, "it's okay if you scare me but not if I scare you."  
  
"Exactly," Merle agreed.  
  
"Well if the two of you hadn't been making so much noise in the bushes, I wouldn't have known you were there," Adrina informed.  
  
"I told you we should have waited until she got closer and come over the wall," Zane told Merle. He motioned to the wall that started ten feet from their current location and continued on to the palace.  
  
"And I told you that we would've made too much noise landing," Merle reminded.  
  
"Not anymore than you made in the bush," Zane replied.  
  
"I don't believe this," Adrina exclaimed in mock surprise, "A premeditated attack on the Queen. I could have you beheaded for that you know." She smiled and motioned to the cats' hair, "But in your defense Merle, I could've just thought you were a really loud watermelon."  
  
The pink haired girl looked over at the green haired boy and then back to Adrina. "You'll pay for that!" Merle announced and pounced on her sister, knocking both of them to the ground. The two of them began to wrestle and roll around on the cobblestone walkway. They were brought to a halt when they collided with something. Adrina looked up and lavender eyes met mahogany ones.  
  
"Folken!" Adrina cried and pushed Merle off of her.  
  
"I thought perhaps you had gotten lost on your way to lunch and came to look for you," Folken told her with a smile.  
  
"I was on my way but I was ambushed." Adrina glanced at Merle and Zane.  
  
"Ambushed?" Folken questioned, the smile still on his face.  
  
"Yes," Adrina nodded, "they pounced on me from the bushes."  
  
"That's a lie!" Merle declared, "You scared us!"  
  
"Only because you were going to scare me," Adrina countered.  
  
"And that led to the two of you rolling around on the ground?" Folken inquired.  
  
"No," Adrina admitted, "I did kinda tell them they looked like a watermelon in the bush."  
  
Folken glanced at the pale cat boy and the darker cat girl and tried not to laugh. He held his hand out to Adrina. "We had better get to our lunch. The cooks will demand more pay if they have to reheat it."  
  
Adrina took Folken's hand and he pulled her easily to her feet. He held his arm out to her. "Shall we, M'lady?"  
  
Adrina smiled and looped her arm with his. "Of course, my King." She turned around. "Are you two coming?"  
  
Merle latched onto Zane's arm and the two couples walked into the palace and to the dining room. As they entered, the smell of their lunch assailed their noses. The smell was more than Merle could bare and she let go of Zane. She ran to her seat and practically dove into her plate, which was already filled with food. Adrina shook her head as the others took their seats.  
  
"Don't choke, Merle," Adrina teased as her sister shoveled the meal into her mouth.  
  
"I won't," Merle managed through a mouthful of lunch.  
  
The others began to eat as well. As she ate, Adrina looked at the two cat teens. Merle had changed a lot in the past two years. She had gotten taller and her hair had grown out. It was now down to her shoulders. She had abandoned the kiddie dress she was used to for a more adult look. Her features had changed as well. She was looking less like a child and more like an adult every day, which is obviously why she had caught Zane's eye. Zane had come to Fanelia from a nearby village to help with the repairs. While he had only planned on staying until the repairs were finished, he had changed his mind after developing a relationship with Merle. They had been instant friends and now they were almost inseparable. Adrina had been very happy when Zane and Merle had become so close. He helped Merle cope with Van and Hitomi's love and made her realize that there were other men in the world besides Van Fanel.  
  
She turned her attention to Zane. She could definitely see why Merle had fallen for him as well. At sixteen, Zane was taller than Merle and well built. His fur was lighter than Merle's, almost white, and his markings were patches of dark brown instead of black stripes. His eyes were bright gold and went quite well with his forest green hair. His hair was short and spiky, much like Folken's had been when he was with Zaibach.  
  
Merle saw Adrina staring at her and her boyfriend. "What are you looking at?" She stuck her tongue out, revealing a half-chewed portion of her lunch.  
  
"Ew, Merle," Adrina cringed, "I'm trying to eat."  
  
Both men at the table looked over at the younger woman. Merle quickly pulled her tongue back into her mouth and smiled innocently. Folken smiled.  
  
"Oh," he said suddenly, "I almost forgot. I received a message from Van today."  
  
"Really?" Adrina asked.  
  
Folken nodded. "He said he, Hitomi and Golan are doing fine and that Allen and Millerna send their love."  
  
Van and Hitomi had taken their eight-month-old son Golan to Asturia to visit Queen Millerna and King Allen. After the war, King Aston had not recovered from his illness and had dies shortly after. Millerna was named Queen after Aries turned down the throne. Millerna had still been upset by Dryden's departure and had turned to the man she loved for comfort. They had been married six months later and now ruled Asturia together.  
  
"Did he say when they'd be back?" Adrina inquired.  
  
"Within the next few months," Folken assured, "he said he promises they'll be back before Golan's first birthday."  
  
"They better be," Merle stated, "Golan's first birthday has to be celebrated here." Merle was still very close to Van and babysat Golan for him or Hitomi often. She had cried her eyes out when they had taken him to Asturia.  
  
The four of them finished their meal and Folken pushed back his chair. "I have some business to attend to in Rindus, but I should be back before dinner."  
  
Adrina looked at the King and raised her eyebrow. He sighed. "All right, I will be back before dinner."  
  
"That's better," Adrina smiled. Folken stood up and kissed her quickly. "Be careful!" Adrina ordered.  
  
"I always am," Folken reminded. He waved to Zane and Merle, then left the dining table. A few minutes after he had gone, Adrina stood up as well.  
  
"Where are you going" Merle asked.  
  
"I'm going to change and go for a ride in the forest," Adrina answered.  
  
"Sounds fun," Merle commented, "Can we come?"  
  
"Sure," Adrina agreed. She left the dining room and made her way to the rooms she shared with Folken. Each brother was built a set of rooms in which to live that included a bedroom, sitting room and bathing room. Adrina went to the bedroom and pulled out her riding clothes, which consisted of a loose fitting white shirt, tight brown pants and black boots. She slipped out of the dress she was wearing and put it with the worn clothes the maids would take to be washed. She pulled on her riding clothes and braided her hair. Just as she tied the braid off with a ribbon, the door opened and Merle entered.  
  
"Are you almost done?" Merle questioned impatiently, "Jeez, you royals sure take a long time to get ready."  
  
"For your information, Miss Kitty," Adrina began, "I am ready to go."  
  
"Oh, well let's go!" Merle urged, "I had the horses readied."  
  
"Okay," Adrina smiled, "let's go!" The girls left the room and met Zane in the hallway, then continued on. They exited the palace and were met by two servants, each leading a horse.  
  
"Your horse, M'lady." A servant walked up to Adrina and handed her the reins of her horse. She thanked him and mounted gracefully. Next to her, Zane and Merle did the same. Merle was never a fan of horses and chose to ride with Zane. After they had mounted, they nudged their horses forward and took off down the path to the forest. They rode past the tree and the gate and out onto the forest path. They rode for about ten minutes at a fast gallop before they reached a clearing in the trees. They stopped the horses and dismounted, allowing the horses to wander and graze at their leisure.  
  
"I just love this place," Merle commented and collapsed onto the soft grass in the middle of the clearing. Zane sat next to her, basking in the sun. Adrina opted to sit in the shade under a large tree at the edge of the clearing. This place was where she and Folken often shared a picnic lunch or a late night stroll. An uneasy feeling suddenly came over her and she shuddered.  
  
From across the clearing, Merle saw this and sat up. "Adrina, what's wrong?"  
  
"I...I don't know," she admitted and wrapped her arms around her knees, which were pulled up under her chin, "I just got this really bad feeling all of a sudden."  
  
"About what?" Zane asked.  
  
"I'm not sure." Adrina's brow furrowed in concentration. "I was just sitting here thinking about the clearing and it just hit me." The cats stood up and walked over to her.  
  
"I'm sure it's nothing," Merle comforted after seeing the worry in her sister's eyes.  
  
"Yeah," Adrina agreed with a smile, "You're probably right."  
  
The three of them stayed in the forest for a few hours. Adrina tried to forget about the feeling she had, but it just kept getting more intense. Finally she decided to head back to the palace. The three of them mounted their horses and rode back to the palace in silence. They were met by servants who took their horses back to the stables while the Queen and cats entered the palace.  
  
"I think I'm going to take a little nap before Folken gets back," Adrina told Merle and Zane. They nodded and Adrina went to her room. She walked in and lay down on the bed, not bothering to change out of her riding clothes or pull off her boots. The bad feeling washed over her again and she shivered.  
  
"What is it?" she asked herself, "What is going to happen?" She closed her eyes and fell asleep after few minutes.  
  
She was awakened by Merle a few hours later.  
  
"Adrina, wake up."  
  
Adrina opened her eyes and sat up. "Oh Merle. I guess I slept longer than I had planned."  
  
"Yeah," Merle agreed, "the servants sent me in here to tell you that dinner will be served in five minutes."  
  
"Dinner?" Adrina repeated and the bad feeling from before came back. "Merle, is Folken back?"  
  
"I haven't seen him," Merle answered, "Wouldn't he have come here if he was?"  
  
"You're right." Adrina jumped off the bed and hurried over to her wardrobe. She pulled out a green dress and took it behind her changing screen. A second later, her riding clothes appeared over the top of the screen. She emerged a second later wearing the green dress. Merle noticed a strange look on her face.  
  
"Adrina, what's wrong?" Merle questioned.  
  
"He's not back yet," Adrina said, "he said he'd be back before dinner." She hurried past Merle and out the door, into the hallway.  
  
"Adrina, wait!" Merle called and ran after her sister. She caught up with her down the hallway. "Adrina, calm down. So he's not back yet, so what. He probably got hung up on something."  
  
"No," Adrina insisted, "he said he's be back before dinner. If something came up, he would've sent word. Rindus is only two hours ride from here."  
  
"Maybe he did send word," Merle suggested.  
  
"You're right!" Adrina's face lit up, "Maybe he did and the servants just haven't told me because I was sleeping." Adrina took off down the hallway once again at full speed with Merle right behind her. They turned a corner and ran past Zane, who watched them in surprise.  
  
"Hey!" he called and followed after them. They ran down a few more hallways and suddenly, Adrina slid to a halt. Merle's reaction was too slow and she crashed into the back on her sister. Adrina stumbled, but barely noticed. Standing in front of her was a wide-eyed servant girl.  
  
"Has Lord Folken sent word that he would be late?" Adrina demanded.  
  
"N..no my Queen," the servant stuttered, "King Folken hasn't been heard from since he left for Rindus early this afternoon." She paused, seeing the look on Adrina's face. "M'lady, is something wrong?"  
  
"No," Adrina replied quickly, "but if Lord Folken does send word, I want to be informed immediately. No matter where I am, I want to be told. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes, M'lady," the servant nodded and hurried off. Adrina stood where she was for a while after the servant left.  
  
"Adrina?" Merle touched her sister's arm. Adrina jumped and spun around to face her sister and Zane, who had joined while she was talking to the servant.  
  
"Merle!" Adrina cried, "I didn't know you were there."  
  
"Adrina, are you okay?" A worried frown creased Merle's brow.  
  
"I'm fine Merle, why?" Adrina was surprised when Merle reached forward and wiped her cheek, leaving her fur wet. Adrina's hands went up to her face and she felt the tears she didn't even know had fallen. She wiped them away quickly.  
  
"Don't worry," Merle comforted, "I'm sure Lord Folken is fine."  
  
"I know," Adrina smiled, "I'm just overreacting."  
  
"Come on," Merle urged gently, "we don't want to miss our dinner."  
  
Adrina nodded and the three of them made their way to the dining room. They sat down to wait and five minutes later their food was brought to them. Adrina ate in silence while the cats tried to cheer her up. Throughout the dinner, Adrina waited for a servant to come to her with a message from Folken. The message never came. After dinner, Adrina was practically panicking as the bad feeling escalated.  
  
"Adrina, everything's okay," Merle consoled but Adrina wouldn't listen.  
  
"No, something's wrong," Adrina insisted, "he should've been back by now or at least sent word. Something happened to him, I can feel it." She stood up from her seat in the parlor and called for a servant. The door opened and a young girl entered.  
  
"Yes, M'lady?"  
  
"Jenly, send for Sir Chenley," Adrina ordered, "I must speak with him immediately."  
  
"Yes, my Queen." Jenly bowed and hurried out of the room.  
  
"Why are you sending for Sir Chenley?" Merle inquired. Sir Chenley was the head knight in Fanelia.  
  
"If something is wrong with Folken, he should know," Adrina informed. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Jenly, the servant girl, entered and bowed.  
  
"My Queen, Sir Chenley." Jenly stepped aside, allowing Sir Chenley entrance to the parlor, then slipped out and pulled the door shut behind her.  
  
"Sir Chenley," Adrina greeted, "please forgive me for summoning you so late."  
  
"Nonsense M'lady," the knight smiled, "I serve you day and night, no matter what time. What is your wish, my Queen?"  
  
"Has there been any word from Lord Folken?" Adrina asked hopefully.  
  
"No, M'lady," Sir Chenley replied.  
  
Adrina nodded. "This may seem rash, but I want someone sent to Rindus to check on the King. I won't sleep until I know he is safe."  
  
"I will send someone immediately." Sir Chenley bowed low and took his leave of the Queen.  
  
"Merle," Adrina started, "it's getting late. You should go to bed."  
  
"Are you going to be alright by yourself?" Merle questioned.  
  
"I'll be fine," Adrina assured with a smile, "I'll probably just fall asleep soon."  
  
"Okay, good night Adrina." Merle stood from the plush couch and left the Queen's Parlor. Once she was gone, Adrina retired to her bedroom and sat down in the window box Folken had had built specially for her. It was an indentation in the wall that was covered and cushioned like a couch. The window it was part of opened up onto the gardens. Adrina kept the window shut and stared out it, up at the two moons hanging in the sky. She felt scared and helpless and wished she had gone with Folken. She sighed and wondered where he was and what was going on.  
  
"I wish Hitomi was here," Adrina whispered, "she'd know if anything was wrong."  
  
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In Asturia, Hitomi kissed her infant son and pulled the blankets up around him. She smiled when she felt strong arms around her and she leaned back into his embrace.  
  
"Did he finally go to sleep?" Van whispered in her ear.  
  
"Finally." Hitomi turned in his arms to face him.  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't help you put him to bed," he apologized, "Allen wouldn't stop talking."  
  
"That's fine," Hitomi assured with a smile. She was silent for a moment. "You know what?"  
  
"What?" Van asked and kissed her forehead.  
  
"I miss Fanelia," Hitomi replied.  
  
"I know," Van told her, "I promised everyone we'd be back before Golan's first birthday."  
  
"I wonder what they're all doing in Fanelia?" Hitomi mused. Suddenly she tensed in Van's arms and her eyes lost focus.  
  
"Hitomi?" Van called with concern, "Hitomi, what's wrong?"  
  
"Oh no," she moaned and her eyes fixed on his, "Folken! We've go to help him!" 


	2. Kidnapped!

Adrina sat staring out the window without really seeing. She had assumed the messenger would be back in four to five hours with news of Folken. It had been over six hours and still there had been no one sent to tell her what was going on. She was exhausted, she had cried for hours on end while imagining all the horrible things that could've happened to her beloved husband, and she wanted to sleep. She knew she couldn't until he was home safe. She sighed and wiped her eyes absently as the tears began to fall again.  
  
A soft wrap on her bedroom door pulled her from her stupor. She jumped up from the window box and ran to it. She yanked open the door to reveal her young servant Jenly. The girl jumped back with surprise at the force with which Adrina had torn open the door.  
  
"What is the news?" Adrina demanded, "Is King Folken alright?"  
  
"M'lady," Jenly spoke softly, "Sir Chenley wishes to speak with you in your parlor."  
  
Adrina's heart fell down to her stomach and she fought hard to hold back the tears. "Show him in."  
  
Jenly nodded and hurried to the parlor door. Adrina shut her bedroom door behind her and walked over to her favorite chair. She sat down heavily and watched as Jenly opened the door and two men entered.  
  
"Sir Chenley and Kama the messenger," Jenly announced and then left.  
  
"M'lady," Sir Chenley started. He was cut off by Adrina's quiet words.  
  
"Please forgive me, Sir Chenley," she began, "But it is late and I have been waiting for word of my husband for hours. I am sick with worry and fatigue so please just tell me what's going on."  
  
"As you wish, my Queen," Sir Chenley nodded, "I sent Kama to Rindus. He returned not but five minutes ago. Tell the Queen what you've found."  
  
The younger man swallowed hard. "My Queen, Rindus was attacked."  
  
"Attacked?" Adrina's eyes went wide.  
  
"Yes, M'lady," the messenger confirmed, "The inhabitants of the city had fled, which is why my journey took so long. I searched for hours before I found someone to tell me what happened."  
  
"And what did happen?" Adrina urged impatiently.  
  
The messenger looked at the knight pleadingly. The knight nodded and continued the tale. "The village was attacked by an unknown enemy. They said the guymelefs that attacked were like nothing they had ever seen. They said the two descended from the sky with a roar like a dragon and settled in the town. They demanded the King of Fanelia be turned over immediately."  
  
"No," Adrina murmured and the tears pushed up.  
  
"The people of Rindus refused and the guymelefs began to destroy the city," Chenley continued, "They said that Lord Folken turned himself over so the enemy would stop it's attack on the village."  
  
"Dammit!" Adrina shouted, "and nobody knows who the enemy were?"  
  
"No M'lady." The two men stared uncertainly at the Queen, surprised by her outburst.  
  
"They said the guymelefs gleamed like polished metal," the messenger informed, "one silver, one gold, if that's of any help."  
  
"Thank you Kama," the Queen praised, "the guymelefs sound very unique. Sir Chenley, send out word. If anyone has any idea where these guymelefs may be or where they came from, I want to know."  
  
"Yes, Your Majesty," Sir Chenley bowed, "may we be excused?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
The men bowed again and left the parlor. The sun was just beginning to cast the first rays through her parlor window and she turned away from the beautiful scene. She wished the day had dawned dark and rainy to fit her mood. She had no desire to see such a breathtaking sight without Folken by her side.  
  
The Queen exited her parlor and walked into the hallway. She hadn't changed her dress since dinner and she supposed she looked awful after a sleepless night of crying but that was the farthest thing from her mind. Right now all she was concerned with was finding Folken, getting him back safely and making whoever had dared take her husband away from her pay dearly.  
  
Adrina turned a corner and almost collided with Merle and Zane.  
  
"Adrina, what's going on?" Merle asked.  
  
"They took him," Adrina replied, her face as hard as steel.  
  
"Who?" Zane inquired.  
  
"Nobody knows," Adrina told them, "they attacked the village in Rindus and Folken traded himself for the well-being of the village. They had two unique guymelefs, one silver, one gold and when I find them I'm going to rip them apart."  
  
Merle and Zane stared warily at Adrina's dark plum eyes. "Adrina, are you gonna be alright?" Merle questioned.  
  
"I'm fine," Adrina assured, "but I swear to you right now that I will tear apart this entire planet to find him if I have to."  
  
"Well, before you go burning and destroying," Merle told her, "You'd better have something to eat."  
  
"I'm not hungry," Adrina insisted and started back down the hallway.  
  
"But you barely ate last night!" Merle called and ran after her sister with Zane. "Besides, if you're gonna made these people pay for what they've done, you've gotta keep your strength up."  
  
Adrina stopped and looked down at the girl. "You're right."  
  
Merle smiled with relief and the three of them went to the dining room. The servants all avoided their Queen's eyes and it was obvious they had been told what happened. They ate their breakfast and Adrina tried to figure out exactly what she was going to do. Without knowing where Folken was, she couldn't launch any kind of rescue effort or even go after him herself. She did know that she couldn't lose him again and would do anything in her power to make sure that he returned safely to her.  
  
Adrina had just finished her breakfast when a servant hurried into the dining room. He bowed beside her and waited for her to address him.  
  
"What is it?" Adrina asked, trying to sound calm but failing.  
  
"A message, M'lady." The servant handed her a folded piece of paper closed with a seal she didn't recognize. She broke the seal and unfolded the letter, scanning the message quickly. Her eyes narrowed and darkened as she read the last line.  
  
"Adrina?" Merle spoke.  
  
Her sister looked up. "It's a ransom letter."  
  
"What?!" Merle and Zane exclaimed in unison.  
  
"What does it say?" Merle prodded.  
  
Adrina looked back down at the paper and began to read.  
  
"'Dearest Adrina, let us say that we are very happy for you and Folken, being the rulers of Fanelia and all. Unfortunately, we need Lord Folken for our own purposes. Rest assured that Lord Folken is safe now, but will not stay that way if our demands aren't met. All we ask is that you send Prince Van to us in return for King Folken, a rather reasonable request, we think. If the Prince is sent, Folken will be released. And please don't send an army to attack us because that would certainly result in the death of the King. We eagerly await your reply. Sincerely, the Zaibach Sorcerers.'"  
  
"The Zaibach sorcerers?" Merle repeated. Since the death of Dornkirk, the sorcerers had taken control of Zaibach and ruled with such fear that the people were afraid to leave their homes.  
  
Adrina crumbled the paper and threw it across the room, then jumped up from the table. She rushed out of the dining room and down the halls to Sir Chenley's room. She pounded on the door impatiently. She heard movement in the room and the door opened to reveal a sour faced Sir Chenley.   
  
"What is i...M'lady!" He bowed quickly.  
  
"Zaibach has him!" she announced, "The sorcerers have kidnapped Lord Folken!"  
  
"How did you discover that?" Sir Chenley inquired.  
  
"They sent me a ransom note," Adrina informed.  
  
"Well at least they are willing to trade," the knight sighed, "no price is too high in return for the King. What is it they ask for?"  
  
"They want Prince Van," Adrina replied.  
  
The knight stared in shock. "But why?"  
  
"I don't know," Adrina confessed, "but we can't turn Van over to them."  
  
"Then we have no choice but to attack Zaibach," Sir Chenley reasoned.  
  
"No!" Adrina ordered, "they said they will kill him if we mount any kind of attack."  
  
"That makes this situation much more difficult to handle," the knight commented.  
  
"This is how we're going to handle it," Adrina told him, "You are going to send word to Van and tell him what's going on. I am going to my chambers to contemplate how I'm going to deal with this."  
  
"Yes, M'lady."  
  
Adrina left the knight standing in his doorway and headed back to her room. She shut and locked the bedroom door and took off her dress. She retrieved clean riding clothes from the wardrobe, another pair of tight brown pants and a form fitting green shirt, and put them on quickly. She pulled on her riding boots and braided her long hair. She then went to the chest at the foot of the huge bed and opened it. She pulled out a bundle of black cloth and sat it on the bed. She unwrapped the bundle and pulled out her sword, the sword Folken had given her in Zaibach. The scabbard was still in near mint condition and she lifted it from the bed. She unsheathed the sword and held it in an attack stance. She swung it around a few times, then sheathed it again and hooked the scabbard around her waist.  
  
Adrina grabbed a knapsack out of a nearby drawer and stuffed the cloak into it. It was a three-day ride to the capital of Zaibach and she suspected the night would be chilly. Se closed the pack and slung it over her shoulder. She unlocked her bedroom door and went through the parlor to the hallway. She poked her head out quickly to make sure no one was around and then ran down the hall to the kitchen. She slipped in and shut the door behind her. All the kitchen staff went wide-eyed and dropped to their knees.  
  
"M'lady!" the head cook exclaimed, "what brings you here?"  
  
"I need you to do something for me," Adrina told the elderly woman.  
  
"Anything, my Queen," the cook agreed.  
  
"I need you to pack a week's worth of food into this." Adrina took off the knapsack and pulled out her cloak, then handed the bag to the cook.  
  
"A week's worth?" the woman questioned as she took the pack.  
  
Adrina nodded. "I want things that won't spoil like dried meat and I want a canteen of water. I don't want anyone to know I was here, is that understood?"  
  
"Yes M'lady." The kitchen servants began gathering food and wrapping it in cloth. Once it had all been wrapped, the head cook packed it all carefully into the knapsack then handed it to Adrina.  
  
"Thank you," Adrina said and stuck her cloak on top of the food, "remember, I was never here."  
  
"Yes my Queen."  
  
Adrina closed the pack and left through the servant's entrance. From the kitchen, she quickly made her way to the stables. The stable master looked surprised to see her and bowed.  
  
"M'lady, it is good to see you," the stable master commented, "looks as if you're going for a ride. Would you like me to have your horse prepared?"  
  
"Yes, thank you," Adrina smiled, "and could you please hurry? I'm in a terrible rush."  
  
"Of course, M'lady." The stable master disappeared into the stables and left Adrina standing outside. She looked around nervously, hoping no one had seen her. She thought she had snuck out successfully when someone touched her arm. She jumped and spun around. Merle and Zane stood in front of her.  
  
"We've been looking all over for you," Merle informed, "What are you dong out here? Are you going for a ride?"  
  
"I...uh..." Adrina tried to hide her pack behind her, but moving it only succeeded in drawing attention to it.  
  
"Why do you have that pack?" Merle asked. Suddenly, a look of realization came over her and she began to shake her head fiercely, "No Adrina! You can't go to Zaibach by yourself! You'll be killed!"  
  
"Ssssh!" Adrina hissed, "keep it down! Listen; there is nothing else I can do! We can't meet their demands and I won't let Folken die."  
  
"There's got to be another way!" Merle insisted.  
  
"I've thought this through," Adrina assured, "I'll be fine, don't worry."  
  
"What if they capture you?" Merle inquired.  
  
"They won't, "Adrina comforted, "but tell you what. If I'm not back in a week, send the army out after me. You have to give me that much time though. If Zaibach learns that the Fanelian army is marching towards them and I haven't freed Folken yet, they'll kill him."  
  
Merle nodded. "Be careful."  
  
"I will."  
  
At that moment, the stable master returned with her horse. She mounted it quickly. "Merle, you and Zane take care of the country until we get back. And remember; don't send the army for seven days. If somehow Sir Chenley finds out and wants to come after me, do everything you can to stop him."  
  
"You can count on us," Zane said.  
  
"Good luck," Merle called. Adrina smiled and nudged her horse into motion. The animal took off like a shot down the path that led over the mountains and down into Zaibach. Adrina's horse was the fastest in Fanelia and she thought that if she pushed, she would be in Zaibach by nightfall on the second day.  
  
The horse followed the trail up into the mountains at full canter. The trail hadn't been used much recently and in places plants had begun to grow in the middle of it. This didn't slow Adrina down and she made it to the top of the mountain just as the sun started setting. Without stopping, she urged her horse to start the downhill trek. The moons cast little light on the trail and she was forced to stop a quarter of the way down.  
  
She unsaddled the horse and spread the blankets on the ground for her to sleep on. She ate a little of the food packed for her and drank some water. She wrapped her cloak around her and fell asleep on the cold, rocky ground.  
  
The next morning, Adrina awoke with the sun. She whistled loudly for her horse, who came trotting up chewing some grass and saddled him quickly. She stuffed the cloak back into the pack, mounted her horse and started off on the second day of her adventure. The miles seemed to fly by as she got deeper and deeper into Zaibach territory. The terrain was now just a barren wasteland with barely a tree or bush, but she knew that the capital city couldn't be far.  
  
Night fell and still she continued on. She crested a hill and saw below her the city lights of the capital of Zaibach. This was only her third time in the evil place and she hoped it would be her last. She nudged her horse and they flew down the hill towards the city.  
  
At the outskirts of the city, Adrina dismounted and draped herself with her cloak. It was made in Zaibach and she figured it would draw less attention than her Fanelian riding clothes. Once the cloak was secured, she turned to her horse.  
  
"I'll be back," she promised, "at least by tomorrow night. Wait out here for me."  
  
The horse whinnied and trotted off as Adrina plunged into the streets of the city. The entire place was lit up like daytime but there were very few people on the streets. Of the few people she did see, almost all of them were soldiers. She hurried towards the center of the city, where the capital building was, and tried not to draw attention to herself. She knew that the sorcerers would have Folken somewhere in the capital building and she found herself wishing she had taken more time to explore when she had been here the first time.  
  
About two hours after she had entered the city, she reached the outside of the capital building. Now that she was there, she had no idea how she was going to get inside. The entrance was shut and probably locked or at least watched. If she tried to enter, she would almost certainly be caught.  
  
A sound on the path behind her startled her out of her thoughts. She quickly dove behind a statue just off the path and watched as three sorcerers approached. For a second she thought they had followed her and knew she was there, but the three just walked by, giving no indication that they were aware of her presence. As they walked, they chatted about something.  
  
"Zeus is almost complete."  
  
"Two more days and it ought to be fully functional."  
  
"But we can't test it with just one Draconian, can we?"  
  
"No, to fully test the Zeus' power we will need more."  
  
"The one we have is just a start."  
  
Adrina bit her lip to keep her anger down. They were going to use Folken as some sort of test subject for Zeus, whatever that was.  
  
The cloaked figures reached the entrance to the building and the door opened. Seeing her chance, Adrina gathered her cloak around her and snuck through the shadows to the door just as the last sorcerer went through. She took a deep breath and squeezed through just as the door closed behind her. 


	3. Inside Zaibach

Adrina crouched in the shadows just beyond the doorway, waiting for an alarm to sound or guards to rush out and capture her. Nothing happened and after five minutes she decided it was safe and crept stealthily out into the hallway. The place was very dark inside, lit only by the occasional dim torch along the wall. She was glad for the shadows that were virtually untouched by light and crept through them to a staircase. She knew that the prisoners were kept on higher levels and ascended quickly.  
  
The second floor was where she had stayed while in Zaibach and she knew it fairly well. She hurried tot he stairs and went up to the third floor. This was where she assumed Folken would be. She had never been to this floor and had no idea which rooms were holding cells and which weren't. She quickly discovered that all the rooms were cells and all were pitch black inside. Adrina hoped that there was some indication of which cell Folken was in because unless she checked every single one, there was no chance of finding him.  
  
She continued down the hall and further down saw a faint light. Afraid it might be someone patrolling the area, she crept down against the wall slowly, making sure she was enveloped in shadows. She got closer to the light and saw that it was actually three torches on the wall in front of a cell. The area was brightly lit and Adrina could see two Zaibach soldiers sitting on either side of the cell door. She assumed this was what she had been looking for.  
  
Adrina crept as close to the cell as possible without leaving the shadows. She stared at the guards intently, trying to figure out what she was going to do. If there had only been one guard, she could've rushed him and killed or knocked him unconscious before he even knew what had happened. With two, it was very likely that one of them would overpower her or raise an alarm, and then she would be doomed.  
  
Adrina decided that the best plan was to draw them into the shadows. If she had the element of surprise, she would be able to dispatch them without either raising an alarm. Now all she had to do was bring them to her. She drew her sword and quickly ran the hilt across the bars of the small window in the cell door next to her. The result was a sound like swords clashing repeatedly. She crouched down and watched as the guards turned her way.  
  
"What was that?" one demanded.  
  
"I don't know," the other answered.  
  
"Well, go check it out!"  
  
"Me? Why do I always gotta do it?"  
  
"Because I said so, now go!"  
  
The guard sitting closest to her stood up and with a glance at his partner, slowly walked into the shadows. His hand was on the hilt of his sword and his eyes darted back and forth as he cautiously inspected the dark hall. He passed the spot where Adrina knelt and continued on. Adrina stood up behind the unsuspecting man and before he knew what hit him, he fell to the floor with a thud, unconscious. Adrina turned and saw that the other guard had heard his partner hit the ground.  
  
"What's going on?" he called and started towards the shadowy passageway. Adrina knelt back down to wait for the second guard. He seemed more cautious than the first and stopped at the edge of the light.  
  
"Hello?" the guard called and Adrina thought he wasn't going to come after his friend but a second later he abandoned the safety of the light for the dark unknown of the hall. He walked down the hallway, past Adrina, and stopped when he kicked his fellow guard. He bent down to see what it was; not knowing Adrina was already behind him. He realized what he'd kicked and started to stand up.  
  
"Oh sh-," The word was cut off as Adrina slammed the hilt of her sword into the man's skull. He crumpled to the ground, landing on the other man. When he had approached, Adrina had seen a ring of keys dangling from his sword belt. She unhooked the belt and slid the keys off, then decided to keep the sword as well. She didn't need them waking up fully armed. She took the first guards sword too and after sheathing her own, made her way into the light. She stopped in front of the cell door and began trying keys in the lock.  
  
There were about thirty keys on the ring and she had almost tried them all before she found the right one. The lock clicked and the door swung in with a loud creak. The light from the hall cast a rectangle of light into the cell that got larger as she pushed the door open. With the door completely opened she could see most of the cell. Against the far wall sat Folken, his arms and feet chained down. He didn't look up as she entered.  
  
Adrina ran to Folken, tears glistening in her eyes. She touched his shoulder and smiled when he looked up at her. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open when he realized who she was.  
  
"Adrina!" he exclaimed softly, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"What do you think?" Adrina teased and began to try keys on his shackles, "I'm here to rescue you."  
  
"Please tell me you didn't come all the way by yourself," Folken pleaded. Adrina said nothing and continued through the keys. "Dammit Adrina! You could've been hurt or killed!"  
  
"It hurts my feelings that you have no faith in my abilities." Adrina tried another key and laughed as the shackles on his feet popped open. "Ha! There we go." She pulled the shackles off of his ankles and then moved to his hands. The shackles on his wrist popped open and fell to the floor with a clang.  
  
As soon as his hands were free he pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. "You know I have faith in you love, but you shouldn't have come."  
  
"I didn't have much of a choice." Adrina pulled away and handed him one of the swords she had taken from the guards. The other she tossed into the corner of the cell. "Come on, we better get out of here before somebody finds us."  
  
"Too late."  
  
Adrina whirled around to the cell doorway. She was scared and surprised to see two figures silhouetted by the light from the hallway. Folken stood up next to her and her hand went to her sword. She tried to size up the intruders, but she couldn't see them clearly because they were backlit by the torches. She could tell they weren't soldiers by their thin silhouettes.  
  
"I hope you don't think we were going to let you walk out of here Adrina," one of the shadows said in a familiar voice.  
  
Adrina squinted, trying to identify the newcomers. She could still see nothing but shadows. Apparently they could see her though.  
  
"You know what sister?" the other started, "I don't think she recognizes us."  
  
"That's terrible," the first woman scoffed, "not recognizing her old friends."  
  
The way the woman said the last word made Adrina cringe, it was almost like a hiss. Her grip tightened on her sword as the figures in the doorway took a few steps toward them, revealing their faces from the shadows. Adrina gasped but said nothing. Folken was the first to speak.  
  
"Naria? Eriya?"  
  
"Hello Folken," Eriya smiled.  
  
"Surprised to see us?" Naria questioned.  
  
Adrina stared open-mouthed at the twins as if she had seen a ghost. In a sense she had, two ghosts resurrected from the dead. She had no idea how to react and she looked to Folken. She was surprised to see a huge smile on his face.  
  
"I'm glad the two of you are here," Folken told them, "you can help us escape."  
  
The twins made no move or reply. They just stared coldly at Folken as his smile slowly faded. Adrina had the feeling that getting out of here wasn't going to be as easy as she had first thought.  
  
"Help you escape?" Naria chuckled quietly, "After what you did to us?"  
  
"Naria..." Folken started.  
  
"Shut up!" Naria snapped, "We don't need any of your pathetic excuses. We were both there, we know exactly what happened."  
  
Folken looked back and forth between the twins, his eyes pleading. "Girls, I don't understand."  
  
"I didn't think you would," Naria scoffed, "after all, everything you did to us was justifiable in you mind."  
  
"How can you say that to him?" Adrina exclaimed, "He saved your lives! How can you be so cold to him?"  
  
"In case you've forgotten Adrina," Naria growled, "Your precious Lord Folken scientifically altered our bodies and then left us to die on the Vione!"  
  
"He thought you were dead!" Adrina defended, "He mourned for you like any good friend would!"  
  
"Well obviously we weren't dead," Eriya spoke, "We were badly injured, especially after the Vione crashed into the ocean. We survived in an air pocket after the floating fortress sunk. We were there for two day before the sorcerers rescued us. By that time we were almost dead. The sorcerers had to use their skills to repair us." Eriya held up her left arm, which was no longer an arm but a mechanical device almost identical to the one Folken had sported. "Nice, isn't it? At first I was appalled by it, but it does have it's uses." Five six-inch claws sprang out of the fingers of her new hand.  
  
"Eriya was the lucky one," Naria commented, "All I got was this." She tapped her right cheek with her claws, causing a metallic ping. "It extends past my ear in the back and covers the whole side of my face. It has increased my sight and hearing dramatically though, so I'm not complaining."  
  
Folken and Adrina stared at the twins, letting the information sink in and trying to figure out what their next move was going to be. They didn't have time to decide because a second later the sisters made it for them.  
  
"What do you say we take care of them so we can get some sleep?" Naria asked her twin, "I'm tired of talking."  
  
"Sounds good to me," Eriya agreed.  
  
Not about to go down without a fight, Adrina drew her sword. "Trying to stop us is a big mistake," Adrina warned, "If I were you, I'd just get out of our way."  
  
Naria laughed. "Do you honestly think we're frightened of you? Pathetic human. I was going to try and capture you alive but now I'm going to rip you to shreds."  
  
Before they could react, the twins pounced on them. Adrina sidestepped Naria's attack and swung her sword. The silver-haired woman barely dodged the blade but regrouped quickly. She lunged at Adrina again, once again underestimating the speed of the Queen. Adrina ducked and Naria sailed right over her. She had barely hit the ground when Adrina's sword hilt smashed into her head, knocking her unconscious.  
  
Adrina spun around and saw Folken struggling with Eriya. Both were standing and were holding each other around the upper arm trying to overpower the other. Folken's sword lay across the room, presumably where it had landed after being swatted away by the golden haired cat woman.  
  
Adrina could see that Folken was losing the battle rapidly. His mouth was set in a firm line and sweat was pouring from his forehead. Eriya was smiling as if she was enjoying the struggle. Not wanting Folken to get hurt but not necessarily wanting to kill Eriya either, Adrina rushed forward and struck Eriya's left arm, the mechanical one. She had hoped to surprise Eriya into releasing Folken but it didn't go quite as she had planned. The force of the sword striking the metal arm jolted her arms painfully, causing her to drop her sword.  
  
Adrina stumbled back a few steps, trying to regain her bearings. She looked up and saw Eriya slice Folken with her metal claws. He cried out and fell to the ground. Adrina let out a battle cry and dove for her sword. Unfortunately, Eriya was quicker. The cat woman kicked Adrina in the stomach, sending her flying and knocking the breath out of her in the process. She hit the stone floor hard and couldn't move. She gasped for air, trying to draw the life giving oxygen into her lungs. She let out a strangled cry when she was dragged roughly to her feet. A strong arm went around her waist to hold her up and five cold metal daggers pressed against her throat. She felt them pierce her skin slightly every time she drew a ragged breath.  
  
"Looks like this is it," Eriya hissed in her ear.  
  
Adrina tried to slow her breathing as she felt blood trickling down her neck and into her riding shirt. She was having trouble focusing and thought she might've hit her head when she landed. She looked frantically for Folken but with the shadows in the room and the stars dancing in front of her, she couldn't see anything.  
  
"Time for you to die Adrina," Eriya snarled and tightened her hold on the Queen, "Good bye."  
  
"Stop!"  
  
The brisk order drew both women's attention. Adrina blinked a few times to clear her vision and focused on the source of the shout. Folken stood about ten feet in front of her. He held Naria in one hand and Adrina's sword in the other. The blade was pressed threateningly against the silver twins throat. She was still unconscious.  
  
"Now then," Folken started after seeing Eriya's eyes on him, "If you kill her, your sister will die."  
  
Adrina shuddered at the emotionless tone in Folken's voice. She hadn't heard him sound that cold and uncaring since he was with Zaibach. He was speaking in the same voice he had used when commanding troops or sweet-talking someone, the voice he used to get what he wanted. Charming, but devoid of emotion.  
  
"I don't want to do it," Folken continued calmly, "but if you kill my wife I will have no choice. An eye for an eye."  
  
Adrina couldn't see Eriya's face but judging by Folken's eyes se was listening to what he said and believing it. Her grip loosened on Adrina's waist a bit and her claws were pulled back enough so that Adrina could breath comfortably.  
  
"What's it gonna be?" Folken prodded, "a trade? Your sister for my wife? Or is the ground going to be soaked with the blood of the ones we love? Which is it Eriya?"  
  
"Don't listen to him Eriya," Naria croaked from Folken's arms. Surprised that she had awakened, Folken tightened his hold on her and put the sword closer to her exposed throat. "He betrayed us sister. He left us to die! Hurt him like he's hurt us! Kill her!"  
  
"Do you want to be responsible for your sister's death Eriya?" Folken asked, "because if you don't release Adrina, it will be all your fault that your sister is dead. Will you let her die when you know you can save her?"  
  
"Don't do it Eriya!" Naria shouted, "Kill her!"   
  
"Listen to me Eriya," Folken coaxed, "is it worth your sister's life to hurt me?"  
  
Eriya looked at her sister apologetically. "I'm sorry Naria, but I can't go on without you." She turned back to Folken. "You win. Take your beloved wife." The last words came out in a hiss as she released Adrina.  
  
Adrina stumbled slightly and hurried over to Folken. He stepped in front of her and held on tightly to Naria.  
  
"Alright Eriya, this is how it's going to work," Folken told her, "Adrina and I are going to walk out into the hallway. If you make any move to stop us, I'll kill her. Is that understood?" Eriya glared and nodded. "Good." Folken looked down at Adrina. "Love, will you check the hallway and make sure it's clear?"  
  
Adrina nodded and walked into the hallway. It was deathly quiet and there was no one to be seen. She hurried back into the cell. "It's clear."  
  
Folken smiled and made his way to the cell door. He stopped just outside it. "It's been lovely talking to you again girls." He released Naria and shoved her back into the cell. The two sisters collided and fell to the ground. Folken grabbed Adrina's hand and ran across the hallway. He gathered her into his arms and before she could protest, he crashed through the window that was set into the wall. The two of them plummeted down the side of the building with glass falling around them.  
  
Adrina was so shocked she couldn't even scream. She looked up at Folken and was surprised to see a smile on his face. A second later his wings emerged from his back, tearing his shirt to shreds in the process. The two hung in the air as the glass and bits of fabric descended to the ground below.  
  
Adrina clung tightly to Folken's neck as they began to ascend into the night sky. She chanced a glance down and saw that they had left the capital far behind them. They were now high in the sky and the wind whipped around them coldly, slicing though her clothing like a knife. She shivered involuntarily and Folken looked down at her.  
  
"Are you alright love?" he inquired.  
  
Adrina smiled. "I'm fine."  
  
Folken nodded and looked down towards the horizon. The sun was just beginning to peak over the mountains. "They will be looking for us soon. We should find somewhere to hide for the day. Hold on, I'm going to let go of you for a second."  
  
Adrina tightened her hold on Folken's neck as he let go of her with his right arm. She saw that he still held her sword and he slipped it into her sheath, then swung her legs up into his right arm. Without a word they flew towards the nearby mountains. They reached them a few minutes later and Folken landed lightly on a cliff next to a cave. He sat Adrina on her feet and looked down at her, a lopsided grin on his face.  
  
"Well love, it's not exactly the palace but it'll have to do for now."  
  
"It's fine," Adrina assured with a smile. "Come on."  
  
Adrina took his hand and they entered the cave. They walked back about fifty feet and sat down. The light from the cave mouth barely reached to where they sat and it took a few minutes for their eyes to adjust. After they had, Adrina stared through the gloom and could see five long, bloody scratches across the right side of Folken's chest. She remembered Eriya had clawed him and leaned forward.  
  
"Oh Folken, you're hurt." Adrina touched the area just below the scratches. Her hand came away wet with his blood. "Folken, this is bad. We've got to treat it before it gets infected."  
  
"Don't worry," Folken comforted, "It will be fine. They aren't very deep."  
  
"I wish I would've thought to bring medicine and bandages." Adrina scowled at herself. "I should've known one of us might get hurt. I just wasn't thinking."  
  
"Adrina, it's all right," Folken smiled, "we'll be home in four days at the most. The doctor can look at it then."  
  
"I might be able to wrap it myself," Adrina mused, "I have fresh water in a canteen and the food is wrapped in cloth. I could use that to clean the wounds, but it'll have to wait until dark so I can find my horse."  
  
"You're injured too." Folken brushed his had across her throat where Eriya's claws had punctured her.  
  
"They're just pinpricks," Adrina dismissed them with a wave of her hand.  
  
A sudden rumbling in the distance drew their attention away from their wounds. They both looked at each other, then crawled to the mouth of the cave. They stayed back a few feet to make sure they were hidden in the shadows and waited as the rumbling got closer. As they watched, two guymelefs rocketed past the cave. In the early morning sun they shone like polished metal, one silver, one gold.  
  
"Naria and Eriya," Folken murmured, "It was them that attacked Rindus." He looked back at Adrina. "Well, it looks as if we're safe for the moment. We should try to get some rest before nightfall."  
  
Adrina agreed and they made their way deeper into the cave. Folken sat on the ground and leaned against the cave wall. Adrina curled up in his left arm and rested her head on his chest. He smiled and kissed her forehead. Exhausted from the long journey and sleepless night before, Adrina fell asleep quickly. 


	4. Home

Adrina felt something touch her throat. At first she was tense. Having something so close to such a sensitive and vulnerable spot on her body made her uneasy. She felt it again and the anxiety slipped from her mind as something gently caressed her neck. She heard a low whisper and although she couldn't understand his words, she recognized his voice. She smiled as she drifted out of sleep.  
  
"So you are awake."  
  
Adrina opened her eyes and even in the dim light she could see Folken leaning over her. She smiled. "Mmm hmm."  
  
"I thought so," Folken told her, "when I began cleaning your wound you tensed up."  
  
"Cleaned my wound?" Adrina's brow knitted in confusion.  
  
Folken held up a cloth streaked with blood. "Your horse found us." He motioned to where the animal stood peacefully in the dark. Adrina sat up and gazed at Folken's chest. The scratches were now cleaned of blood and looked much better than before. She reached out and laid her hand against the injured flesh. It was cool and showed no signs of fever or infection.  
  
"I'm fine," Folken assured as if reading her thoughts, "it's dark now. I think we should get moving."  
  
Adrina nodded and Folken pulled her to her feet. He led her over to the horse and grabbed the reins. Her pack was slung over the saddle and Folken stuck the canteen he held into the pack and closed it.  
  
"Are you ready love?"  
  
"Yes," Adrina answered. Folken led the horse out of the cave and Adrina followed. They stepped out into the moonlit night and started down a rocky path, presumably the one the horse had come up. It took them about fifteen minutes to reach the bottom of the cliffs. Once they were on flat ground, Folken mounted the horse and held his hand out to Adrina. She took it and he easily pulled her up onto the saddle in front of him. He grabbed the reins and nudged the horse into motion. He obligingly took off across the open plains towards the mountains of Fanelia.  
  
They rode all night without stopping. The horse didn't protest the long, strenuous ride and they made good time. As soon as the light of dawn began to seep over the land, Folken and Adrina found somewhere to hide for the day. They found another cave to hide in and had a few bites of food before going to sleep for the day.  
  
The next day was pretty much the same as the one before. They traveled the entire night and stopped for the day. They were very close to the mountains and figured they'd be home by dawn of the next morning. When they stopped for the day they were too far away from the mountains to take cover there. They decided that they would take turns keeping watch while the other slept. Adrina agreed to take the first watch and Folken fell asleep with his head in her lap.  
  
Adrina knew that Folken hadn't been sleeping well since they had been on the run. She suspected he had been keeping watch while she slept the day away in the caves. Of course, he'd never tell her of his sacrifice and if she asked he would deny it. That was just the kind of person he was.  
  
Noon rolled around and Adrina was supposed to wake Folken for his watch. She looked down at his peacefully sleeping form and couldn't bring herself to do it. He needed sleep and she didn't. They would be home soon and she would be able to sleep then. She smiled down at him and continued her watch.  
  
Just as it began to get dark, Folken awoke. Adrina felt him stir and looked down as he opened his eyes. She smiled as he yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. She brushed some hair out of his eyes and kissed his forehead.  
  
"Rise and shine sleepyhead."  
  
He sat up and looked around at the gradually darkening surroundings. "Why didn't you wake me for my watch?"  
  
Adrina shrugged. "Figured you could use the sleep."  
  
Folken smiled and stretched. "What do you say we have a quick dinner then head home?"  
  
"Sounds good to me," Adrina agreed. They dipped into their still plentiful food supply and had a moderate dinner. When they had finished their meal they gathered the few things they had and put the pack on the horse's saddle. Once they were ready to go, they mounted and started for the nearby mountains.  
  
As the night darkened, the sleepless day began to catch up with Adrina. She yawned repeatedly and tried desperately to keep her eyes open. The gentle rocking motion of the horse's walk and the warmth of Folken's embrace soon proved to be too much for her and she drifted off into a contented sleep.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Rina, Rina love, wake up."  
  
Adrina slowly opened her eyes and was surprised to see that it was daytime. She turned and looked up at Folken.  
  
"Where are we?" she asked.  
  
"Home," Folken answered and motioned forward. Adrina looked past the horse's head and saw Fanelia spread out at the bottom of the mountain. In the growing daylight she could see the palace and the light reflecting off the fountain in the gardens. Home. They were home.  
  
"Fanelia," Adrina breathed, the sight of her homeland stealing her breath, "We made it." She turned back to Folken. "We made it!" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. There were points in their journey when she didn't think she'd ever see the green forest of Fanelia again but here they were. She had done it. She had rescued Folken successfully and both of them had made it back alive.  
  
Folken pulled away from her and smiled. "Let's get down there and let everyone know we're all right."  
  
Adrina nodded vigorously and Folken nudged the horse into motion. He took off at a canter down the side of the mountain. To any watching he was nothing more than a tan blur. The descent down the mountain was the quickest leg of the journey they had traveled so far. In an hour and a half they had left the mountain and were racing towards the palace, the horse never slowing.  
  
They flew down the path towards the stables at full gallop. As they approached, they saw several people sprinting towards the palace. As they slowed down near the stables the stable master came out with a huge smile on his face. He bowed low as they came to a stop in front of him.  
  
"My Lord, M'lady, it is good to see you have returned safely," the stable master declared.  
  
"It is good to be home." Folken dismounted and lifted Adrina off the horse. The stable master rose from the ground and took the horses reins.  
  
"Make sure he gets the royal treatment," Adrina told the stable master, "he was very obedient and never complained once at our quick pace. He needs rest and food."  
  
The stable master smiled. "As you command my Queen." He disappeared into the stables with the horse.  
  
"Shall we go to the palace?" Folken asked with a smile.  
  
"Yes."  
  
A sudden noise from the palace drew their attention in that direction. Coming from the palace was about twenty servants and other palace personnel. They were all smiling broadly and heading for them. From the back of the group, Adrina could see people being pushed aside as someone made their way through the crowd. Adrina wasn't surprised when a second later Merle and Zane emerged from the crowd and took off at a run towards them.  
  
"Adrina!" Merle cried and jumped into her sister's arms. Adrina stumbled back a few steps but regained her balance quickly. Before she could speak, Merle continued. "We were so worried about you! We thought we'd never see you again!"  
  
"I appreciate your concern Merle," Adrina told her, "to be honest, I'm surprised the two of you didn't burn down the castle while we were gone."  
  
Merle looked up at Adrina and stuck her tongue out. "We were very responsible, weren't we Zane?"  
  
"Yes," Zane nodded.  
  
Adrina held her arm out. "Come here."  
  
Zane walked over to Adrina and she pulled him into an embrace next to Merle. "It's really good to be home."  
  
At that moment the group of people reached them, Sir Chenley in the lead. They all bowed low and the knight began to speak.  
  
"Forgive me, my Lord," Chenley begged, "I didn't know Queen Adrina's intentions. If I had known she was going to go after you, I would've stopped her."  
  
"No need to apologize," Folken assured, "I know you would've tried to stop her, but she would've found a way to come after me anyway."  
  
Adrina beamed at her husband's words. "He's right. I would've found a way out." She released the cat teens but Merle still clung protectively to her arm.  
  
"My Lord, you are injured," an elderly servant woman exclaimed.  
  
Folken looked down at the scratches, which had scabbed over during the return trip. "It is nothing."  
  
"You should have it looked at," Adrina insisted, "it could still get infected."  
  
"Adrina..."  
  
"No," Adrina interrupted, "don't try to talk me out of it. It needs medical attention."  
  
Folken sighed, "All right, I'll have it looked at."  
  
A few elderly women that Adrina knew were healers came forward and took Folken's arms.  
  
"Don't worry my King," one healer said, "we'll fix you up."  
  
The women began leading Folken towards the palace, his arms firmly locked in the older women's arms. He turned his head and looked back at Adrina.  
  
"I'll catch up to you as soon as I can," Folken called back.  
  
"Don't worry," Adrina laughed, "I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"M'lady," another servant spoke, "is there anything you need?"  
  
"Not at the moment," Adrina answered, "but I would be much appreciative if you could have the cooks prepare a nice big lunch."  
  
"I will tell them at once." the servant bowed and hurried back to the palace. The remainder of the group professed their happiness that their monarchs were back, then drifted back to the palace, leaving Adrina, Merle, and Zane alone by the stables.  
  
"So, what was it like sneaking into the Zaibach capital?" Zane asked as they made their way to the palace.  
  
"Yeah," Merle added, "did you get to tear apart any of those evil sorcerers?"  
  
"Unfortunately no," Adrina chuckled, "I never confronted the sorcerers but i have a feeling our paths will cross again soon. Something is happening in Zaibach and I can't imagine that whatever the sorcerers are planning is good for Gaea."  
  
The three of them entered the palace and walked to Adrina's chambers. They stopped outside the door of her parlor.  
  
"I am in desperate need of a bath," Adrina informed.  
  
"You're telling me." Merle plugged her nose.  
  
Adrina playfully slapped Merle's arm. "Ha ha. I'll see you two at lunch."  
  
The two teens waved goodbye and disappeared down the hallway as Adrina opened her parlor door. She walked in and was overcome by the familiar smells of the room. She finally realized just how much she missed this place. Adrina breathed deep of the perfumed air and crossed the room to the bedroom door.  
  
She opened the door and entered the room she shared with Folken. The bed was made and the clothes she had left lying around had been washed and returned to the wardrobe or dresser. Wanting nothing more than to get out of the clothes she had been wearing for the past five days, Adrina grabbed a deep maroon dress out of her wardrobe and hurried to the bath room that was connected to the bedroom.  
  
The bath room was a huge stone room with a large stone basin in the middle. The basin was large enough to hold several people at once and was filled with heated water. Adrina quickly stripped out of her soiled clothing and sank into the warm water. A sigh of complete contentment slipped out of her lips as the water enveloped her and soothed away all the aches she had acquired from her journey. After relaxing for a bit, Adrina scrubbed her skin and hair clean. The warm water was starting to make her sleepy and she decided she'd better get out before she fell asleep and drowned.  
  
Adrina stepped out of the tub and wrapped up in a nearby towel. She dried her skin and hair then dressed quickly. She left the bathhouse and returned to the bedroom, where she flopped down on the bed. She had intended to only rest for a few minutes but instead fell into a peaceful slumber.  
  
She was awakened by a movement on the bed next to her. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Folken smiling down at her. She smiled back and sat up.  
  
"Time for lunch," Folken informed.  
  
"Already?" Adrina inquired. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."  
  
"You needed the rest," Folken said.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Adrina asked, "what about you? I bet you haven't even sat down since we got back."  
  
Folken grinned guiltily. "You know me too well. Sir Chenley, the generals and I were discussing what we should do about Zaibach. I have a feeling they are up to something more sinister than kidnapping the King of Fanelia."  
  
"I heard the sorcerers talking when I snuck into the capital," Adrina offered, "they were talking about something called Zeus and they needed Dranconians to power it."  
  
"I heard the same thing," Folken informed, "I have a few servants combing the library for any book that might give us an idea of what Zeus is."  
  
"Did Sir Chenley send word to Van?" Adrina questioned.  
  
Folken nodded. "Van said he'd pack up and come back immediately. I just sent another message letting him know that we're all right and telling him not to come home. If we find nothing about Zeus in our own library, and I doubt we will, then I think we will join Van and Hitomi in Asturia. Their library almost certainly must contain some information on this Zeus. I have asked that the library be searched already."  
  
"It's been so long since I've been to Asturia," Adrina commented, "I miss the sea."  
  
"Then I will have the trip prepared," Folken told her, "We shall leave for Asturia as soon as possible."  
  
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Sorry, I know this chapter was boring but it had to be added. I want to say a big THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! to Gwuinivyre for reviewing this story. I almost decided to stop writing it because nobody was reading it, but then Qwuinivyre reviewed and the story shall continue! Thanks again Gwuinivyre, and I'm glad you like it so far! 


	5. Asturia

"Are we almost there?"  
  
Adrina looked across the carriage to her sister, murderous intent glistening in her eyes. "We will be there within the hour and if you ask again I am going to strangle you until you are dead."  
  
Next to her on the seat, Folken chuckled. Adrina shot him a look but he ignored it. "We should be able to see the ocean soon. Then you will know we are close."  
  
It had been six days since Folken and Adrina had returned from Zaibach. Three days after their return they had left for Asturia. Merle and Zane had found about Folken and Adrina's travel plans and had insisted they be allowed to accompany them to Asturia. And here they were, less then an hour away form their destination, sitting comfortably in the Royal Coach while half the Fanelian Army marched around them.  
  
Merle reached over and opened the carriage window, letting in a cool breeze that was heavily scented with salt. "The sea!" the cat girl exclaimed excitedly, "I can smell it! We're almost there!"  
  
"Folken said when you can see it we're almost there," Adrina reminded, "the scent probably carries for miles."  
  
Merle peered out the window. "All I can see is trees."  
  
"That's because the ocean will be in front of us until we turn onto the road that leads to Palas," Folken informed.  
  
"Well, I'm not waiting that long." Merle threw open the carriage door and scurried onto the roof. The door shut once she out of sight.  
  
"Merle!" Adrina called, "Get back in here!"  
  
"I see it!" Merle cried, "I can see the ocean! Come on Zane! It's beautiful!"  
  
Zane, who had never seen the ocean, opened the carriage door quickly and scrambled up onto the roof with Merle. The door swung shut behind him.  
  
"I don't think she quite grasps the 'lady' thing," Adrina laughed.  
  
"Adrina!" Merle shouted, "You've got to see this! The sea is even more beautiful than I remember!"  
  
Without thinking, Adrina jumped up and reached for the door. She froze when she realized what she was doing and sat back down, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.  
  
"What's wrong?" Folken questioned.  
  
"Nothing," Adrina assured.  
  
"Then why did you stop?"  
  
Adrina shrugged. "I'm not a child anymore. If the soldiers were to see their Queen climbing onto the carriage like a peasant, what would they think?"  
  
"Imagine what they'll think when they see both of us doing it," Folken smiled.  
  
Adrina's eyes lit up as he grabbed her hand and pushed open the door. He held it open while Adrina hoisted herself onto the roof, then climbed up after her. They sat down next to Merle and Zane. The carriage driver, hearing the commotion, turned around and his eyes widened.  
  
"Don't worry," Folken comforted, "We're just enjoying the view. Keep driving."  
  
"Y...yes my Lord."  
  
Adrina giggled and looked ahead. Several hundred soldiers marched ahead of the carriage. Past them stretched a dirt path that continued on for a few miles then dropped out of view. Where the road disappeared the ocean began. In the midday sun the water sparkled like diamonds scattered across a giant blue cloth. Adrina breathed in the sea air and felt a hand close over hers. She looked up and saw Folken smiling down at her. She smiled back and leaned against him as they stared at the breathtaking scene before them.  
  
"So Zane," Adrina asked, "what do you think?"  
  
"It's amazing," Zane breathed.  
  
The entourage continued down the road until they reached a fork. They took the left fork and continued on parallel to the ocean towards the capital city of Palas.  
  
They reached the outskirts of the city five minutes later. They rolled past the windmill where Adrina, Van and Merle had stayed during the war. They continued on down the dusty path towards the castle. They entered the populated area of the city and people lined the streets to watch as they passed. Some obviously recognized Adrina and Merle, but they weren't sure if they should call out to them.  
  
The carriage finally came to a stop outside the palace. They were delighted to see Van and Hitomi rush out to greet them. Hitomi held Golan in her arms as they stopped next to the carriage.  
  
"It's good to see all of you," Van called up to them, "is there something wrong with the inside of the carriage?  
  
"Of course not," Folken laughed and jumped down from the carriage, "we were just enjoying to view." Folken hugged his brother. "It is good to see you." He turned back to the carriage and lifted Adrina down.  
  
"Van!" Adrina exclaimed and hugged him, then hugged Hitomi as well. She looked down at the baby in her arms. "He's getting so big! I swear he's twice the size he was when you left Fanelia."  
  
"The sea air has been good for him," Hitomi agreed.  
  
"Let me see!"  
  
Adrina and Hitomi looked over and saw Merle standing next to them. She held her arms out expectantly. "I wanna hold Golan."  
  
Hitomi smiled and handed Golan to the cat girl. She took the baby and nuzzled him, cooing incoherently, which caused Golan to smile and giggle.  
  
"Let's go into the castle," Van suggested, "Allen and Millerna are anxious to see you."  
  
They agreed and the six of them entered the palace. Van led the way and they walked down a series of corridors. Adrina smiled as she remembered different things about the castle. They passed a large window and she remembered spying on Allen and Hitomi with Merle. They turned down another corridor and stopped outside a huge door flanked by two guards.  
  
"Can you let the King and Queen know that King Folken and Queen Adrina of Fanelia have arrived?" Van asked.  
  
The guard on the left nodded and disappeared into the chamber beyond. He returned a moment later and held the door open as they entered. They walked down the plush carpet to the thrones at he end of it. Adrina, Folken, Merle and Zane bowed slightly.  
  
"King Allen, Queen Millerna, it is good to be back in Asturia," Folken greeted.  
  
"And it is good to have you," Millerna smiled, "we've missed all of you." Her eyes fixed on Zane. "I don't think we've met your friend."  
  
"This is Zane," Adrina introduced, "he came to Fanelia to help with the repairs and decided to stay."  
  
"Ah yes," Millerna commented, "Van and Hitomi told me about you, Zane. They say that you and Merle have become quite close."  
  
Zane blushed. "Yes, Your Majesty. Merle and I are very close."  
  
Queen Millerna smiled warmly. "I'm sure you are all famished from your journey. Let us go to the dining hall and have some lunch."  
  
The others agreed and followed Allen and Millerna into the dining hall. There, they were joined by Allen's sister Celena. When Adrina had first learned about Celena, she had been uneasy about her, but once she got to know her, she became friends with her. They all took seats around the large, wooden table and chatted as the servants set out their food.  
  
"We received word that you had been captured by Zaibach," Allen spoke as they ate, "we were prepared to send the army to aid in your rescue effort when we heard that had returned safely to Fanelia."  
  
"Yes," Folken smiled warmly at his wife, "Adrina saw to that."  
  
"Adrina?" Millerna, Allen, Van and Hitomi exclaimed in unison.  
  
Folken nodded. "She came to Zaibach alone and rescued me."  
  
"There must be a very interesting story behind this," Millerna suggested, "But perhaps it could wait until after lunch. I have planned a meeting to discuss the threat of Zaibach and what our course of action shall be. I believe you would like to be settled into your rooms before we begin strategizing."  
  
"You're right," Adrina agreed, "we've been on the road for three days and it will feel wonderful to sleep in a soft bed again."  
  
"Of course," Millerna smiled, "as soon as lunch is finished you will be shown to your rooms."  
  
The rest of the meal was spent catching up on the recent events of Asturia and Fanelia. After the meal had been finished, servants led the Fanelians to their rooms. Merle and Zane's rooms were just down the hall from the room Folken and Adrina were staying in. When they entered the room, they saw that their luggage had already been brought in. Adrina sat down on the bed while Folken began to pace the floor.  
  
"Something wrong?" Adrina asked.  
  
"I'm just unnerved about Zaibach," Folken answered, "something is going to happen and I want to know what it is beforehand. Zeus, whatever it does, is the key to everything and the sooner I know what it's purpose is, the better I'll feel."  
  
"Aren't there people checking the library right now for information on Zeus?" Adrina reminded.  
  
"Yes," Folken admitted, "but I feel as if time is running short."  
  
"Well, if it will make you feel better, we can go to the library and see how things are going," Adrina suggested.  
  
'That's a good idea," Folken agreed.  
  
He took Adrina's hand and the two of them exited their room. They went down the proper corridors and emerged from the castle into the brightly lit Asturian afternoon.  
  
"If I remember correctly," Folken started, "the library is that way." He pointed in the opposite direction of the one they had arrived from earlier. The two walked hand in hand down the streets of Palas, heading towards the library. They reached it about ten minutes later. The library was a huge stone building near the Palas bizarre. A portion of the roof was made from darker stone, proof of the attack by Naria and Eriya two years earlier.  
  
Folken and Adrina walked up the stone steps and entered the reference building. The library consisted of one giant room lined with wall-to-wall books. There were also freestanding bookshelves in middle of the room. Adrina gaped at the massive collection and continued to stare even after an attendant approached them.  
  
"Lord Folken," the man greeted, "it is good to see you."  
  
"Arian, I'm glad you're still working here," Folken said, "I know that my request will be treated with the utmost respect."  
  
"We have some material for you now," Arian informed, "and we are still searching." He motioned to the men and women throughout the library who were scanning the shelves, some on large ladders so they could reach the top shelves.  
  
"That is excellent," Folken praised, "if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to see what you've got so far."  
  
"Of course," Arian agreed. He led the two of them past the massive bookshelves and to the back of the room. Set up against the back wall were several tables, most of which were laden with books and papers. Several were occupied. Arian led them down the row of tables and stopped at the last one. It was much neater than the other tables. There was a stack of small books and loose papers sitting next to a big, thick book.  
  
"This is the information we've been able to gather so far," Arian stated, "the stack of stuff are books and articles that mention 'Zeus' in one way or another. The big book contains detailed information on a machine called the Zeus."  
  
"Thank you, Arian," Folken said. The other man bowed slightly and left them standing by the table. "Might as well get started," Folken concluded and they sat down. Adrina volunteered to go through the stack so Folken could get right to what was probably valuable information in the book.  
  
While Folken skimmed the pages of the book, Adrina read through the information in the stack. Most of it was just brief mention of the Zeus machine or even other things called Zeus. She did learn that the schematics for the Zeus machine were drawn up by the Draconians when Atlantis still existed. Somehow the blueprints had found their way to Gaea and many people had tried to build the machine the Atlantians had designed. All had failed until now.  
  
"Here it is!" Folken announced suddenly, startling Adrina out of her reading.  
  
"What does it say?" Adrina questioned eagerly.  
  
"'The Zeus machine was designed by the Atlantians,'" Folken read, "We already know that." He skimmed down the words, "'The Zeus was never built by the Atlantians because of the issue of how it was powered. In order to operate the Zeus, Draconian blood must be used.'" Folken paused and looked over at Adrina, who urged him to continue. "'The more Draconian blood the Zeus is fed, the more powerful it becomes. If given enough blood the Zeus could destroy an entire planet.'"  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"We can only assume that the sorcerers are going to use the Zeus to threaten the rulers of Gaea into surrendering their countries to the Zaibach Empire," Folken concluded.  
  
Folken, Adrina, Millerna, Allen and Van were sitting around a table in the conference room of the palace. After Folken had read the passage about Zeus, he had taken the book and suggested a meeting with the King and Queen of Asturia. They had complied and Van insisted he be included as well. Hitomi, Golan, Merle, Zane, Celena and Princess Aries had gone to the bizarre to show Zane around.  
  
"That is a devious plan, even for the sorcerers of Zaibach," Millerna commented, her brow furrowed in concern. She propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her folded hands.  
  
"The situation isn't as grave as it seems," Allen spoke, "the sorcerers need Draconian blood to power the Zeus, correct?" Folken nodded. "All we have to do is notify all the Draconians and warn them of Zaibach's intentions."  
  
"Easier said than done," Adrina said, "Draconians are considered demons by many. They aren't openly known to those around them."  
  
"Then we will simply send out word of the sorcerers plans and invite the Draconians to stay here until we can dispose of the sorcerers."  
  
"Didn't you listen to what Adrina just said?" Van questioned, "Draconians are demons! If you invite them to the castle, they will see it as a trap. They won't come."  
  
"How will the sorcerers know who is a Draconian and whose not?" Millerna interjected, "Of course they know Folken is. It's common knowledge that King Goau married a Draconian, but how will they find the unknown Draconians?"  
  
"The sorcerers will find a way," Folken told them, "they will find the Draconians and take them back to Zaibach to power their machine. The only chance we have is to discover the Draconians first and warn them ourselves, one by one."  
  
"Isn't that a little drastic?" Millerna inquired.  
  
"It's our only choice," Folken stated.  
  
"And how do you propose we find the Draconians?" Allen asked, irritation evident in his voice, "we just discussed that the Draconians are practically in hiding."  
  
"The Atlantians valued information above all else," Folken informed, "there is a legend that states the Draconians had a special complex to house their records of various things, including a family tree that updates itself every time a Draconian is born or dies. If we find the Records House, we can utilize the family tree and find all the living Draconians."  
  
"Even if this legend is time," Allen commented negatively, "how are we supposed to find it?"  
  
Folken pointed to the large book on the table. "This book tells of all the Draconian legends and tells where the Records House can be found."  
  
"It's settled then," Millerna declared, "I will have the preparations started immediately. We will leave before the week is out."  
  
The meeting adjourned and the five people went their separate ways. Adrina walked back to their room with Folken, who carried the heavy book. Once inside the room, Folken sat down at the desk and began flipping through the book.  
  
"I'm going to go and see if Hitomi, Merle and everybody are back yet," Adrina told him.  
  
"Alright," Folken agreed, "I'd come with you, but I want to see if there is anything else useful in here."  
  
"I understand," Adrina smiled, "I'll see you at dinner." She kissed Folken's cheek and left the room. She was heading outside when she ran into Van.  
  
"What are you up to?" she asked as they continued out of the castle.  
  
"I was just going to check and see if Hitomi was back yet," Van informed.  
  
"That's what I was doing," Adrina told him. They exited the castle and started across the courtyard. "Are you going to come with us Van?"  
  
"Us?" Van raised an eyebrow. "Folken is letting you go?"  
  
"Folken doesn't have to let me go," Adrina insisted, "I make my own decisions."  
  
"The journey could be dangerous," Van said, "You know Folken will be wary of letting you come if there is a chance you could be hurt."  
  
"There won't be any danger," Adrina assured, "all we have to do is find the Records House and get the names of the living Draconians. It'll be simple."  
  
"I've learned that nothing is simple when Zaibach is involved," Van told her, "but I hope you're right."  
  
"So are you coming with us or not?" Adrina prodded with a smile.  
  
"Have I ever said no to an adventure?" Van inquired.  
  
Adrina laughed. "I'm glad. It wouldn't be right without you there."  
  
They stopped walking as they saw the group from the bizarre enter the courtyard. Merle and Zane spotted them and ran over quickly, their eyes big and their lips curved into smiles.  
  
"Look what Zane bought me!" Merle exclaimed and held up her left hand. A beautiful gold charm bracelet dangled from her wrist.  
  
"It's beautiful," Adrina told her.  
  
"And we got this for you." Zane held up a neatly wrapped package closed with a bow.  
  
"What is it?" Adrina asked.  
  
"Open it," Merle instructed.  
  
Adrina untied the ribbon and looked into the package. She gasped in delight when she saw the candies. "Asturian chocolate! There's so much of it. This must've cost you a fortune."  
  
"Nah," Zane replied, "we got a discount because we were with Princess Aries."  
  
The others had now joined them. "How did the meeting with Allen and Millerna go?" Hitomi asked. From her arms, Golan yawned.  
  
"Yes," Van answered, "Folken told us about the Zeus. It needs Draconian blood to power it."  
  
Hitomi's eyes went wide, as did Aries and Celena's. "Dranconian blood?" Hitomi repeated, "Is that why they captured Folken?"  
  
"We assume so," Van nodded, "and that's why they asked for me in return. Folken said that the only way to stop the sorcerers is to warn the Draconians of their plans."  
  
"How are you going to do that?" Aries asked, "Won't it be difficult to find the Draconians?"  
  
"My brother has discovered a Records House that the Atlantians created," Van informed, "the building is a storehouse for Draconian records and contains a family tree that updates itself every time a Draconian is born or dies."  
  
"Where is the Records House located?" Celena asked.  
  
"I don't know the exact location, but Folken has a book that tells the location. Queen Millerna has already begun making the preparations for our departure."  
  
"Departure?" Hitomi questioned, "You're leaving?"  
  
"Yes," Van answered.  
  
"But Van..." Hitomi started.  
  
"We can talk about it later Hitomi," Van interrupted.  
  
Hitomi started to speak again, then shut her mouth and nodded. "I think it's about time for Golan's nap."  
  
"I'll come with you," Van said and the two of them departed into the castle.  
  
"If you'll excuse me," Aries began, "I have some things that need to be done before dinner." She headed into the castle.  
  
"As do I." Celena bowed in front of Adrina and hurried after the Princess.  
  
"So, when are we leaving?" Merle asked after Celena had gone.  
  
"We?" Adrina asked much in the same way Van had earlier.  
  
"Yeah," Merle confirmed, "You didn't think you were gonna leave us behind you?"  
  
"I hadn't really thought about it," Adrina admitted, "but now that you mention it, no you're not going."  
  
"Why not?" Merle demanded.  
  
"You nearly drove me insane on the way here to Asturia and that was only a three day trip!" Adrina stated, "There is no way I can listen to you all the way to the Records House."  
  
"That's really mean Adrina," Merle pouted, "We're family. You're supposed to love me unconditionally."  
  
"I do love you Merle," Adrina insisted, "but you drive me crazy sometimes."  
  
"Please Adrina!" Merle begged, "Please let us come with you!"  
  
"It's not my decision," Adrina told her, "It's up to Millerna and Allen to decide who gets to go."  
  
"Will you talk to them for us?" Merle asked.  
  
"No." Adrina turned and headed back towards the castle.  
  
"Please!" Merle cried and the two cats followed her.  
  
"No." Adrina kept walking.  
  
"Please!" This time it was both of them.  
  
"No."  
  
"Please!" Both cats begged, "Please please please please please please please please please please please..."  
  
"All right!" Adrina shouted, "I'll talk to them! But that doesn't mean they'll say yes."  
  
"Thank you!" Merle and Zane hugged her then entered the palace. Adrina sighed in defeat and followed after them.  
  
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Sorry it took so long to update this. I was busy typing another story and I've been lazy lately.   
  
To Gwuinivyre: I haven't seen the Escaflowne movie. I wanted to until I saw how they changed the animation. I didn't like the new character designs (especially Folken) and so I never saw it. If somebody offered it to me maybe I'd watch it. I heard it was good. Thanks again for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter!!!! ^.^ 


	6. Rhymes and Riddles

The bright, golden sun rose slowly out of the sea, chasing away the dark shadows of night and bathing the land in it's warm, yellow glow. In Asturia, most people were still in bed and missed the breathtaking sunrise. Among those fortunate enough to see it were a group of people gathered at the airship dock and making final preparations for their departure.  
  
Adrina turned her gaze from the magnificent sunrise and looked up at the airship hovering above her. It was almost identical in appearance to the Crusade, but was at least three times larger and had six levi-stones instead of two. Allen had explained to them it was the Crusade II and was built with more luxuries so he and Millerna could travel in style. Of course, Allen's new Crusade had the same crew as the old one and Gadis stood next to the loading basket, which had been lowered to the ground already.  
  
"It's so big," Merle commented from Adrina's side. Adrina had done as she said she would and talked to Allen and Millerna about Merle and Zane. Allen had been skeptical but Millerna agreed to them joining the quest immediately.  
  
"It is almost time to depart," Allen announced, "has anyone seen Van?"  
  
"Here we are!"  
  
Everyone turned to see Van and Hitomi hurrying towards them. Hitomi was all smiles while Van's shoulders were slumped in defeat and he kept his eyes on the ground.  
  
"Hitomi?" Millerna questioned, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I convinced Van to let me come along," Hitomi informed.  
  
"What about Golan?" Merle asked, concerned.  
  
"Princess Aries and Celena are going to take care of him while we're gone," Hitomi told her.  
  
"Now that we're all here," Allen started, "we should get going."  
  
The others agreed and they boarded the Crusade II. On the ship, they all crowded against the windows in the control chamber so they could watch the take off.  
  
Below them, Asturia gradually disappeared and was replaced by a huge forest. As the scenery became monotonous, everyone drifted off to different areas of the ship. Adrina and Folken went to their designated room. Folken immediately went to the desk where the legends book had been placed and opened it.  
  
"Folken?" Adrina called.  
  
He looked over at her. "Yes?"  
  
"Where exactly is the Records House?" Adrina inquired, "I heard you tell Allen to head east, but you never gave him any other directions."  
  
Folken smiled sheepishly. "That's because I don't know where the Records House is."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"The book only gives hints and riddles." Folken turned to the appropriate page as Adrina sat down next to him. "I knew if I told Allen that, he would never have agreed to go, so I lied and told him the book said exactly where it was."  
  
"So what are you going to do?" Adrina asked, "Allen is going to find out if you don't tell him where we're supposed to go."  
  
"I have to decipher the riddles before we arrive at the next checkpoint," Folken answered.  
  
"Checkpoint?"  
  
"The journey to the Records House is broken into different legs of travel," Folken explained, "and at the end of each leg is a checkpoint. The first clue says 'Travel to the land of green where dragons roam and birds sing.' That has to be Fanelia, so Fanelia is the first checkpoint. The next clue is 'To the south of the dragon-land is a place hot and full of sand.'"  
  
"That's easy," Adrina said, "it's got to mean Syndra Desert."  
  
"That's what I was thinking," Folken agreed.  
  
"So why don't we just head straight to the desert?" Adrina questioned, "Why go through Fanelia first?"  
  
"The book says each checkpoint must be visited before the Records House can be found," Folken informed.  
  
Adrina nodded. "So what's the next clue, after the desert?"  
  
Folken looked down at the book. "'In a land of fire and stone, no seed will grow that has been sown.'"  
  
Adrina's brow furrowed in confusion. "What does that mean?"  
  
"I'm not sure," Folken admitted, "but we've got time to think about it."  
  
"What if we don't figure it out by the time we reach the desert?" Adrina questioned.  
  
"Then we'll have to tell everyone and hope they have a better idea of what the clue means than we do."  
  
Two days later, the Crusade II was rapidly approaching Syndra desert and neither Folken nor Adrina had deciphered the clue to the next checkpoint. Finally, a day before they were to reach the desert, Folken decided they should tell the others the truth about the book's cryptic clues.  
  
"We have been traveling fro nearly three days," Folken reasoned, "Allen won't make us turn back now."  
  
Adrina agreed and the two of them went in search of Allen and Millerna. They found them in the dining room with Van, Hitomi, Merle, Zane and the Crusade II's captain, Gadis. They were seated around the table, obviously waiting for breakfast to be served.  
  
"Folken, Adrina," Allen greeted, "we didn't think you were going to join us for breakfast this morning." Folken and Adrina took their seats at Allen and Millerna's left, across from Van and Hitomi. "So Folken, we will reach the desert tomorrow morning. Where do we go from there?"  
  
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," Folken informed, "the way to the Records House isn't exactly straight forward. The book gives clues as to the locations on the way."  
  
"Clues?" Allen questioned, "So you don't know where the Records House is? Why wasn't I informed of this before we left? Now we have wasted almost three days of travel for nothing!"  
  
"Not for nothing," Folken contradicted calmly, "All we need to do is decipher the next clue."  
  
"And what if we can't?" Allen demanded, "Then this entire journey has been a waste of time!"  
  
"Oh, calm down Allen," Millerna chided, "it's no big deal. All we have to do is figure out the clue. No problem. What is the clue?"  
  
"'In a land of fire and stone, no seed will grow that has been sown,'" Folken recited.  
  
"Land of fire and stone?" Millerna's brow furrowed in concentration.  
  
"It's Namsid," Gadis spoke from the other end of the table. Everyone turned in his direction.  
  
"Namsid?" Allen repeated skeptically.  
  
"Yeah," Gadis nodded, "it was a tiny village west of Syndra Desert. A long time ago, it was attacked by an unknown enemy and burned to the ground. When the survivors rebuilt the village, they discovered that nothing would grow because of the fire. The people decided to abandon the village and went to different places. Some came to Asturia. My ancestors were some of them."  
  
"There's your answer Allen," Folken smirked, "after we reach the desert, we head to the village of Namsid."  
  
The next week and a half was spent deciphering clues and visiting checkpoints. There were ten in all and at the last one, the last clue, the one that revealed the location of the Records House, was read to everyone by Folken.  
  
"'In a place where angels fly a gate will open in the sky,'" Folken read.  
  
"The Mystic Valley!" Hitomi offered immediately, "the entrance to the Valley opened in the sky and the angels are the Atlantians."  
  
"You're right," Folken agreed.  
  
"Isn't that a problem?" Allen inquired, "Didn't the gate explode last time we were there?"  
  
Everyone was silent as they remembered their own experiences on their previous journey to the Mystic Valley.  
  
"So that it's then?" Allen grumbled, "The whole journey was pointless."  
  
"Maybe, maybe not," Folken said, "the only way we'll know is if we continue to the Mystic Valley."  
  
"But that's still a day and a half journey," Allen complained.  
  
"Oh quit whining Allen," Millerna scoffed, "What else have we got to do, sit around and wait for the sorcerers to unleash Zeus on us? This may be our only chance and we're not turning back now."  
  
Allen fell silent at his wife's harsh words. After a few more minutes of discussion, everyone went their separate ways. Back in their room, Adrina addressed Folken.  
  
"What happens when we find the Records House?" Adrina asked.  
  
"What do you mean?" Folken inquired.  
  
"Well, after all the clues and riddles I can't imagine the Records House is going to welcome us with open arms," Adrina explained, "there's got to be some trick or spell or something that has to be used to get it."  
  
"The book says there is something," Folken admitted, "it says that the entrance process will be explained at the Records House but doesn't give any hint as to what it is."  
  
"I hope it's not too difficult," Adrina commented, "if we get there and then can't open the Records House, Allen will never let us forget it."  
  
"I know." Folken cupper her cheek in his hand and smiled, "Don't worry Rina. We will succeed."  
  
Adrina closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. "For everyone's sake, I hope you're right."  
  
On the twelfth day of their journey, the Crusade II approached the entrance to the Mystic Valley. Everyone was nervous and anxious to see just what the end of their quest would hold. When they reached the place where the gate had opened before, Gadis stopped the Crusade II and let it hover a couple hundred feet above the ground.  
  
"Now what?" Allen demanded.  
  
"I don't know," Folken admitted.  
  
"You don't know?" Allen shouted, "This was all your idea! I thought you knew what you were doing!"  
  
"He does know what he's doing!" Adrina defended.  
  
"Well he sure isn't proving his competence to me at the moment," Allen shot back.  
  
"Allen!" Millerna cried.  
  
"Back off Allen," Van growled, "if anyone can find the Records House, it's Folken."  
  
"You're being unfair Allen," Hitomi added, "if we succeed in this journey and stop the sorcerers, will you be so eager to hand over sole responsibility to Folken?"  
  
As the adults bickered, Merle and Zane stared out the window boredly. As they looked out, a movement on the ground caught their attention. The air seemed to shimmer and shift and soon the outline of a building materialized. As the structure filled in, Merle turned to the others.  
  
"Hey, I think all of you should see this," she called. They ignored her and continued quarreling. "Hello? Is anyone listening?" Still no one acknowledged her presence. Irritated because they were fighting over nothing, Merle took a deep breath. "STOP FIGHTING!!!"  
  
The group of adults stopped their argument and looked over at the red-faced cat girl. "If you guys can be quiet for a minute, there is something down there you should see."  
  
Everyone crowded around the window and looked to the ground. The building was now completely visible and quite large.  
  
"What is it?" Millerna questioned.  
  
Folken smiled. "It's the Records House."  
  
Allen ordered Gadis to take them down and Gadis piloted the Crusade II closer to the Records House. The Crusade II was landed just outside and everyone exited quickly, including the crew. They all gathered in front of the door of the huge building and looked up. All along the front of the building were strange symbols and markings.  
  
"What is all that?" Merle motioned to the front of the building.  
  
"It's writing," Van replied, "Ancient Draconian writing."  
  
"The language of Atlantis," Adrina murmured.  
  
"What does it say?" Hitomi questioned.  
  
"'This is the Records House of the Draconians.'"  
  
Everyone's attention was drawn to Folken, who stared up at the writing.  
  
"Since when do you read ancient Draconian?" Van inquired.  
  
"I learned many things while with Zaibach," Folken answered and continued to relay the message on the building. "'Housed inside are all the documents important to the Draconians, keepers of Atlantis. To enter, one must possess the two stones from each side of the Draconian family tree. The stones must be placed in the appropriate slots on either side of the door.'" Folken looked down at everyone around him.  
  
"What stones?" Allen asked.  
  
"The only description it gives is what I just read, 'the stones from each side of the Draconian family tree.' That is all it says."  
  
"How are we supposed to find those?" Millerna questioned.  
  
Everyone was silent as they racked their brains for the answer.  
  
"Hey look at this!" Hitomi called from the right side of the door. The group hurried over to see what she had found. She was pointing excitedly to a slot next to the door. "Look! It's the pendant!"  
  
Sure enough, etched in the stone was the pendant Hitomi had given to Van. It had even been filled in with a pink paint of some kind.  
  
"So the pendant is one of the stones?" Van questioned, holding the pink stone on his palm.  
  
Adrina hurried to the left side of the door to search for the image of the second stone. She was shocked when she found it. The second stone was identical to the necklace she had given Folken. "Folken, come here quick. Look at the other stone!"  
  
Folken hurried over and looked at the image carved into the wall. "That's my necklace."  
  
"Yes!" Adrina agreed, "We have both stones!"  
  
At that proclamation, everyone crowded around and stared at the second etching. They were all very excited.  
  
"This is unbelievable!" Millerna breathed.  
  
"What do we do Folken?" Adrina inquired.  
  
Folken took a few steps back so he could see the front of the building. "Both stones must be placed in their designated slot simultaneously." Folken unhooked his necklace and handed it to Adrina. "You'll have to do it. I can't see the writing from there."  
  
Adrina nodded and stood next to the door, the necklace lying on her upturned palm. Van quickly unhooked the pendant from his neck and stood in front of the other slot. They looked at each other.  
  
"Ready?" Van inquired. Adrina nodded and they both stuck the stones in the slots. Both stones began to glow, the one on the right pink and the one on the left purple. The door to the Records House shifted slightly, then remained still.  
  
"What's wrong?" Allen asked.  
  
"Nothing," Folken replied, "a Draconian must place his hand in the outline on the door." Folken stepped forward and placed his hand on the hand outline on the door. The stones glowed brighter and a white light traced Folken's hand. Suddenly, Folken's wings burst through his shirt, tearing it to shreds and with a groan of pain, he fell to his knees.  
  
"Folken!" Adrina cried and ran to his side. She knelt down next to him, concern covering her face.  
  
"I'm all right," Folken assured, "it was just making sure I was really a Draconian."  
  
A scraping sound drew their attention. They saw that the door to the Records House was sliding open. It slid back into the wall and disappeared. As it did so, the two stones stopped glowing and all was silent. Van pulled the pendant out of the slot and after getting to his feet, Folken took his necklace as well. His wings disappeared and he put the necklace back on. Without a word, they group entered the Records House.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
Can you tell from this chapter that I'm not too fond of Allen?  
  
Gwuinny, I'm so sorry I haven't updated for so long! Last week my mom was on vacation and I couldn't use the computer at her work. Please forgive me!!!!!!! I have three other chapters besides this one written and I think that there will only be one or two more chapters after that, so the end is near. Thank you for reviewing!! *hugs Gwuinny* Hope you enjoyed this one! The next one should be up shortly. 


	7. Shocking Discovery

Inside, the Records House was lit by numerous torches in brackets on the wall. The group stopped inside the first chamber and took in the sights. The chamber they stood in was large and had several doors leading from it, all of which were made of dark wood and framed by a lighter wood carved in the same patterns as the front of the building.  
  
"What do the doorframes say?" Van asked.  
  
"They all say the same thing," Folken informed, "'This is the Records House of the Draconians. Proceed with care.'  
  
"Proceed with care?" Allen repeated, "Was that a warning?"  
  
"I don't think so," Folken replied, "The Atlantians treasured their records. I think it means be careful with the materials."  
  
"How do we know where the family tree is located?" Merle asked.  
  
"We'll have to split up," Van suggested.   
  
"That's a good idea," Folken agreed, "We'll split up into groups of two. Each pair will take a different door."  
  
The group split up into pairs and decided to meet back in the main chamber when they had finished their search. Folken and Adrina picked the third door from the right and entered. They found themselves in a torch lit corridor that continued on for several hundred yards. On each side of the hallway were doors identical to the one they had come through. Without hesitation they entered the first room.  
  
The room was normal sized and lined with bookcases. The light in the room emitted from a chandelier suspended in the roof. Seeing the flickering candles, Adrina marveled that the place didn't burn down.  
  
"What exactly are we looking for?" Adrina asked as she looked around the room.  
  
"I'm not sure exactly what the family tree will look like," Folken told her, "but from what the book says, it is large, much larger than a book."  
  
A quick glance around showed them there was nothing of that magnitude here so they left the room and moved onto the next. After a few more rooms, they realized that if they went together, they would never finish checking all of the rooms. They decided that Folken would check the doors on the right side of the hall and Adrina would take the ones on the left.  
  
Even in this fashion, it took them awhile to search the rooms. An hour later, Adrina emerged from the last door on the left. The last door on the right was open and she could see Folken searching the room. Adrina started to cross the hallway to join him when she noticed another corridor that led off to the right of the hall they were in. The path was dark and several yards beyond the room Folken was in, which is why she hadn't noticed it.  
  
Adrina debated on whether or not she should get Folken before exploring the new corridor, then decided against it. She stepped into the dark hallway and immediately two torches flared to life at the other end. Adrina jumped and turned to run but stopped when she saw the torches flanked a glittering blue door. Her curiosity overcame her and Adrina started down the short hallway.  
  
When she reached the door, she saw that it was made of a blue stone of some sort. She put her hand against it and was surprised to find it cold despite the heat the torches were putting off. She pulled her hand back and wrapped it around the doorknob, which was cut from a crystalline substance. Adrina twisted the knob and the door swung open.  
  
The room the door opened onto was brightly lit, a drastic change from the dark hallway. Adrina blinked rapidly against the onslaught of light and entered the room. Once her eyes had adjusted she looked around the room. It was much larger than the previous rooms she had been in and more brilliantly lit. Adrina looked at the back wall and gasped as she found what they were all looking for.  
  
The entire back wall was covered with words and lines. Adrina slowly walked towards it until she could read the words. The top of the wall only had tow names but as her eyes traveled down, the names branches out in both directions. Towards the middle, both branches stopped in many places. Adrina assumed this was where Atlantis was destroyed. From there, the names branched out again, but nowhere near as much as they had before the destruction of Atlantis.  
  
Adrina pulled out a pencil and a pad of paper. Each person had taken one in case they were the ones who found the family tree. Starting from the right branch, Adrina wrote down the names of the living Draconians. The top two names on the tree were the first two Draconians. Under their names were the names of their sons. The two branches of the tree stemmed from the two brothers. Folken, Van and Golan were the last living direct descendents of the younger brother, Shinji.  
  
After finishing the right side of the tree, Adrina moved onto the left. She went across the branches, writing down the names of the living. The direct descendants of the older brother continued on after the other lines had stopped. Adrina went down the remaining line, but didn't find any living Draconians. At the third to the last name on the list, Adrina stopped. Along with birthdates and dates of death, the tree also told who the Draconians married. The third Draconian from the bottom was a woman by the name of Krilee Stell but that wasn't what caught her eye. What caught her eye was the name of the man Krilee married, a man named Kahn Celone. Adrina's eyes drifted down to their children and her heart stopped. They only had one child, a boy, named Stephan Celone. Stephan Celone was her father's name. She looked over and saw that Stephan Celone had married Inara Currah. Inara Celone was Adrina's mother.  
  
Adrina, her mind racing, checked the date of Stephan's death. It corresponded with her father's death. Unable to wait any longer, she turned her gaze to Stephan and Inara's children. There was only one. Adrina Krilee Celone de Fanel married to Folken Laceur de Fanel. Adrina stared at her name on the Draconian family tree and tried to comprehend exactly what it meant. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear someone enter behind her.  
  
"Adrina?"  
  
Adrina jumped and spun around. "Folken! I didn't hear you come in!"  
  
"When I entered, you were just staring at the wall," Folken told her, "is everything okay?"  
  
"Everything's fine!" Adrina assured a little too quickly, "I found the tree and wrote down the names. We got what we came for so let's get out of here."  
  
Folken gave her a puzzled look, then nodded. "Alright. The others are probably waiting. Oh, I found this book." He held up a thick book, "it's a book about the history of the Draconians. I was hoping that maybe it will help us down the road. Folken stuck the book under his arm and they left the room. They retraced their steps and eventually emerged into the main chamber. Like Folken guessed, everyone was waiting for them.  
  
"I hope you two had better luck than we did," Van commented.  
  
"As a matter of fact, we did," Folken informed, "Adrina has the names of all the living Draconians. Now we can go back to Asturia and begin planning."  
  
Suddenly, the light from the open doorway disappeared. Everyone turned and saw two figures silhouetted in the doorway. Adrina recognized them immediately and drew her sword, silently thanking herself for bringing it with her.  
  
"Well sister," Naria stated, "it looks like she recognized us this time."  
  
"What do you want?" Adrina demanded.  
  
"We've come for the Draconians," Eriya announced.  
  
"You can have them over my dead body," Adrina growled.  
  
'That could be arranged," Naria chuckled and brandished her claws. She began to advance towards Adrina but stopped when Folken stepped in front of his wife, his own sword drawn.  
  
"This is foolish," Folken reasoned, "there are two of you and twenty of us, sixteen of which are armed. You are severely outnumbered."  
  
"I think you counted wrong, Folken." The twins stepped aside, allowing a clear view of the area beyond the doorway. Standing there was at least one hundred Zaibach soldiers.  
  
Adrina glanced up at Folken, who didn't seem the least bit worried. She looked behind her and saw Van, Allen and the crew of the airship had all drawn their swords as well. Hitomi, Merle, Zane and Millerna stood behind everyone, their eyes wide and their faces pale.  
  
"We've got to break through to the Crusade," Allen ordered, "protect Queen Millerna and Princess Hitomi at all costs."  
  
Adrina glanced at the blonde knight-turned-King, a little irritated that he neglected to think of the well-being of their other unarmed companions.  
  
"Merle, Zane," Adrina called, "Stay close to me." The two cats hurried to Adrina's side. "If you get the chance, run as fast as you can back to the Crusade. Don't stop for anything, understood?" They nodded.  
  
Everyone fell silent as the two opposing forced waited for the opportune time to strike. Suddenly, Allen yelled "charge!" and the battle began. Adrina rushed forward, hoping to lead Merle and Zane out the door before she could be stopped. She wasn't so lucky. Naria pounced on her, knocking her to the ground. Adrina shoved her off and got to her feet quickly. The two combatants began to circle each other, waiting for the other one to give a chance to strike.  
  
"Adrina, look out!"  
  
Merle's frantic cry had Adrina spinning around. She jumped back quickly as Eriya charged and swung at her with her mechanical claws. Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough and Eriya's claws raked down her left arm. Adrina felt no pain. She was in "warrior mode" and wouldn't return to normal until the threat had passed or she was killed.  
  
Adrina swung her sword at Eriya. It caught her in the stomach, slicing through the tender flesh. The cat woman shrieked and fell to the ground. She didn't know how deep the cut was, but Adrina assumed it wasn't life threatening, just enough to incapacitate her for awhile. She didn't have much time to contemplate it because Naria was on the attack again, running full speed at Adrina. Adrina swung her sword high. The blade connected with the prosthetic side of Naria's head. A loud clang was heard and Naria dropped to her knees, clutching her head and screaming in pain.  
  
"Merle! Zane! Let's go!" Adrina led the cat teens out of the Records House and into the fray outside. There were soldiers everywhere, some alive, others not so fortunate. Adrina was attacked by one of the more fortunate ones and she dispatched him easily. They continued on through the battle, growing closer and closer to the Crusade. As she ran, Adrina tried to survey the field and see how they were doing, but she was always interrupted by a soldier impatient to die.  
  
One such soldier attacked Adrina about one hundred yards from the Crusade. She swung her sword but the soldier blocked and the two stood with their swords crossed between them, trying to overpower one another. A howl of pain to her right drew her attention. Merle had kicked one of the soldiers hard between the legs. As a result, the man's eyes rolled up in his head and he fell to the ground, unconscious. Behind him was a clear path to the airship.  
  
"Merle, Zane, go!" she ordered. The cats hesitated for a second, then scrambled towards the ship as quickly as possible. Seeing her momentary distraction, the soldier she was fighting knocked her sword away from her. She dove for it, but was tackled to the ground. Before she could fight back, the soldier was standing in between her and her sword. Adrina started to get to her feet but the soldier kicked her, sending her sprawling back to the ground. She looked up at him, amethyst fire burning in her eyes, and saw he had raised his sword for the deathblow.  
  
"Goodbye," the soldier sneered and brought the sword down with full force. A loud clang rang out as his sword clashed with another. Folken stepped in between Adrina and the soldier, their swords locked in combat stance. Folken quickly overpowered the other man and drove his sword straight through the soldier. Adrina grabbed her sword and jumped to her feet.  
  
"Are you all right love?" Folken asked.  
  
"I'm fine," Adrina assured.  
  
"Folken, Adrina! Come on!"  
  
They both looked towards the Crusade and saw Van, Allen and most of the crew were killing any soldiers who dared get close to the ship. Adrina and Folken joined them, slaying soldiers as they went. They all jumped onto the cargo ramp as the Crusade II began to lift off the ground. A few soldiers who tried to jump in as well were dealt with harshly. Once the ship was too high for the soldiers to reach, they entered the cargo bay and the ramp closed behind them. The group quickly made their way to the command chamber where everyone else was.  
  
"Adrina!" Merle rushed to her sister and hugged her.  
  
"Are you okay?" Adrina asked, "Did you or Zane get hurt?"  
  
"No," Merle answered, "we're fine."  
  
"Hey boss," one of the crew members called, "you better come see this."  
  
"What is it?" Gadis demanded and walked over to the crewman, who was looking out the window.  
  
"Their floating fortress," the crewman explained, "it's moving."  
  
"Are they coming after us?" Millerna asked fearfully.  
  
"No," Allen answered as he joined the other two men at the window, "it looks like they are landing."  
  
"Landing?"  
  
Everyone crowded around the window and looked down. Sure enough, the floating fortress landed and a moment later they saw why. Ten sorcerers emerged from the black ship and entered the Records House.  
  
"So that was their plan all along!" Van concluded.  
  
"They must have been following us the entire time," Folken mused.  
  
Left of Adrina at the window, Merle grimaced and looked at her sister. "Ew, Adrina. What's on your arm?"  
  
Both females looked down to see that Adrina's left dress sleeve was torn and soaked with blood.  
  
"Oh no, Adrina. You're hurt!" Merle exclaimed. Everyone turned to the young Queen, who stood staring at her wound. She remembered that Eriya had clawed her. She looked up as Millerna stood in front of her. She took Adrina's arm into her hands and gently peeled away the blood-soaked cloth.  
  
"How bad is it?" Folken asked. He stood next to Adrina with her right hand clasped tightly between the two of his.  
  
"It's not too bad," Millerna announced after a second, "but it needs stitches." She looked up at Adrina. "Why didn't you tell us you were hurt?"  
  
"I didn't know," Adrina admitted, "Eriya scratched me but it didn't hurt so I didn't think it was important."  
  
"Come on," Millerna urged, "let's go to the infirmary. I'll stitch it up and you'll be fine."  
  
Adrina followed Millerna out of the control chamber with Folken still clutching her hand, and followed her to the infirmary. Inside, Millerna instructed her to sit on the table, which she did. Millerna quickly put a white apron over her dress and picked up a pair of scissors.  
  
"I'm going to have to cut off the sleeve of your dress," Millerna told her.  
  
"Okay," Adrina agreed. Millerna cut through the stained cloth and carefully peeled it off of her skin. Folken's hands tightened on her as the wound was fully uncovered for the first time.  
  
"It's worse than I first thought," Millerna frowned.  
  
"She's going to be all right, isn't she?" Folken questioned with concern.  
  
Millerna looked up at Folken and smiled. "Of course. It's just going to take more stitches than I had originally planned." Millerna went to a nearby cupboard and began pulling out medical equipment.  
  
Adrina looked up at Folken and was amused to see he looked pale. "Are you all right Folken?"  
  
"Yes," Folken assured quickly, "I'm fine, why?"  
  
"You look like you're going to pass out," Adrina teased, "if you react like this over a little scratch, I'll hate to see how you react when our children are born."  
  
"I am not going to pass out," Folken insisted, "I'm just worried about you, that's all. And I don't plan on being in the room when the children are born."  
  
Adrina laughed as Millerna returned to the table with a bowlful of hot water and some cloths. She dipped one cloth into the water and began to clean the blood from Adrina's arm.  
  
"Really Adrina," Millerna scoffed as she worked, "I honestly don't know how you couldn't feel this. It should've hurt bad."  
  
"Trust me," Adrina winced, "it does now."  
  
Millerna dabbed at her arm a few more times, then sat the cloth aside. "There, now I can see exactly what I'm dealing with."  
  
All three of them looked down at Adrina's arm. Crossing her lower bicep were three long slices. They had stopped bleeding but looked to be quite deep.  
  
"They're not bad at all," Millerna commented, "nice clean cuts. Are you sure she scratched you? They look more like slices from something sharp to me."  
  
"She has a mechanical arm," Adrina informed, "her claws are six inch metal daggers."  
  
"That makes more sense," Millerna nodded, "Well! Let's get started." Millerna laid out her instruments and stitched up the wounds efficiently and without much pain. During the process, Adrina glanced up at Folken several times to find him staring in another direction. Once the wounds had been closed, Millerna wrapped her arm in clean, white cloth.  
  
"All done," Millerna announced after securing the cloth, "but you should get some rest. You lost quite a bit of blood."  
  
"Now that you mention it," Adrina admitted, "I do feel a little tired."  
  
"Exactly," Millerna said, "Folken, take her to your room and don't let her leave until she's rested."  
  
Folken agreed and led Adrina to their room. Once inside, he made her lie down immediately.  
  
"I'm going to go discuss our strategy with Allen and Van," Folken informed as he pulled on a shirt to replace the one that had been destroyed by his wings, "I'm trusting you to stay in bed and rest. Don't disappoint me, love."  
  
"Don't worry," Adrina assured, "I'm not going anywhere."  
  
Folken walked over to the bed and kissed her. "I'll come and check on you in an hour or so."  
  
"Okay," Adrina smiled, "you better fill me in on everything that is discussed at your meeting."  
  
"I will," Folken promised. He kissed her again and left the room.  
  
Now that things had calmed down and she was alone again, Adrina had time to ponder the Draconian family tree and her name on it. IF it was accurate, then she was a Draconian as was her father, but he had never mentioned it to her. Surely if he was a Draconian, he would've told King Goau and Queen Varie. He might've feared oppression, but not from them. Her mother had never mentioned it either. Was it possible that her mother didn't know? Perhaps her father himself didn't know. Or maybe it was all a mistake.  
  
A knock at the door scattered her thoughts. "Come in!" Adrina called. The door opened and Hitomi entered carrying the book Folken had taken from the Records House.  
  
"I hope it's okay," Hitomi started, "Folken asked me to hold this book for him while we escaped and I thought he might want it after the meeting."  
  
"That's fine," Adrina smiled at her sister-in-law.  
  
Hitomi smiled back and put the book on the table where the other one sat. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Fine," Adrina answered, "the wounds hurt a little but Millerna did an excellent job."  
  
"I'm glad you're okay," Hitomi told her, "do you need anything?"  
  
"No," Adrina replied, "I'm fine. Thank you Hitomi."  
  
Hitomi nodded. "I'll let you rest then. She waved and then left Adrina alone in the room.  
  
How can I be a Draconian and not know it? Adrina pondered, her mind shifting back to her previous thoughts. Wouldn't I know if I had wings? No, she told herself, not necessarily. She remembered how Folken had told her that a Draconian's wings weren't a physical part of their being. The wings were born of sheer will and manifested themselves as solid entities when a Draconian called for them.  
  
"But how do I know for sure?" she asked out loud. The answer hit her suddenly. The book. Maybe the book could help her. Adrina climbed off the bed and retrieved the book from where Hitomi had placed it. It was heavy and Adrina had trouble lifting it without hurting her arm. She managed to haul it over to the bed and opened it quickly. She was surprised to find a table of contents in the front of the book. She scanned the chapter titles eagerly and stopped on a chapter titled "The Legacy of the Draconian Stones." The Draconian Stones. Folken's necklace and Van's pendant. Both given to them by the women who loved them. Hitomi's grandmother had given her the pendant, who received it from Allen's father on her own journey to Gaea, who had taken it from the Mystic Valley. What about her necklace? Adrina had been given the necklace at birth by her father, who had received it at birth from his mother. His mother, Krilee Stell-Celone, the Draconian.  
  
Adrina flipped through the pages of the book until she reached the appropriate chapter. She began reading the words to herself.  
  
"'The first Draconians, Gosim and Shehar, had two sons, Kuji, the oldest and Shinji, the youngest. Given to each son was a special stone that would become the heirlooms of their families. To Kuji was given the stone 'Murasaki Tatsu' or 'Purple Dragon'. The Murasaki Tatsu was to be passed down through the eldest child of the family. To Shinji was given the stone 'Sekichiku Namida' or 'Pink Teardrop'. The Sekichiku Namida was to be passed down through the youngest child of the family. When the Atlantis was destroyed, Kuji's descendent escaped with the Murasaki Tatsu. While Shinji's descendant escaped also, the Sekichiku Namida was left behind.'"  
  
Adrina stopped reading. That explained why Allen's father had found the pink pendant in the Mystic Valley. It also explained why she had the purple dragon necklace. She was the direct descendant of the oldest son Kuji, the last living member of the line. She shook her head. No! She couldn't be! She would know she was a Draconian. Her father would've told her! Adrina flipped back to the table of contents, determined to find proof either way.  
  
Forty-five minutes later, the book had yielded no answers and Adrina had come to the conclusion that the only way to be sure was to try and make her wings appear. She closed the book and walked over to the full-length mirror against the wall. Not wanting to ruin her dress any further than it had been already, she unbuttoned it down the back, which was no easy task with her injured arm. She finally managed to release the last button and caught the front of the dress before it fell. She stood before the mirror with her right hand pressed against her collarbone to hold her dress on and her eyes wide.  
  
"Here goes," she whispered. She closed her eyes and concentrated, willing the wings to appear. Even before she opened her eyes she knew they were there. She could feel their weight spread out behind her, as slight as it was. She opened her eyes and looked into the mirror.  
  
"Oh my God," she gasped. Even though she had known the wings would be there, she still wasn't prepared for the sight of the snowy vision behind her. The wings were beautiful, magnificent and Adrina could barely breath. She had always marveled over Folken's wings and had wished she had some herself and now here they were. Her own wings.  
  
Adrina flexed her wings and a cascade of white feathers floated noiselessly to the ground. She turned her head and stared first at the right wing, then at the left. She moved them again, sending another bunch of feathers to the floor. Adrina turned back to the mirror, a huge smile on her face.  
  
I'm a Draconian, she thought. She concentrated and her wings shrunk, then disappeared. She called for them again and this time watched as they appeared and grew to their full length. She guessed that each wing was about seven feet long and the two of them stretched out reached halfway across the room. Adrina concealed her wings once again and buttoned up her dress.  
  
I am a Draconian, se thought again with glee. She hurried over to the bed and sat down when another thought struck her. How am I going to tell Folken? She couldn't just walk up to him and say "Hey, guess what! I'm a Draconian!" She would have to explain everything to him, but how would he take it? Would he be angry? Happy? Upset?  
  
Unable to sit still, Adrina jumped off the bed and began to pace the room. Folken had told her he would be back to check on her in an hour or so and she guessed it had been about an hour since he had left. She tried to think of exactly what she was going to say to Folken as she made her way back and forth across the room.  
  
She didn't have much time to think because on her fifth trip around the room the door opened and Folken entered. He stopped and frowned when he saw her standing in the middle of the room.  
  
"Adrina, what are you doing?" Folken asked and crossed the room to her, "Millerna told you to rest. Why are you out of bed?"  
  
"Folken, I need to tell you something," Adrina began. Instantly his eyes filled with fear and uncertainty.  
  
"What's wrong Adrina?" Folken demanded, "is something wrong with your wound? Are you sick?"  
  
"No, no," Adrina assured, "it's nothing like that it's..." She paused, searching for the words. "When I was writing down the names from the family tree, I discovered something, something surprising. My name was on the tree."  
  
"Of course it was," Folken smiled, "along with dates of birth and death, the tree also lists the names of those married to Draconians."  
  
"I know," Adrina insisted, "but that's not...Folken, my name was..." Struggling for words but not finding them, Adrina decided to show him. She reached back and began fumbling with the buttons on her dress and winced every time her stitches pulled.  
  
"Adrina, what are you doing?" Folken asked, confused.  
  
"I can't find the words to tell you so I'm going to show you." Adrina sucked in a breath through clenched teeth as her fingers slipped from a button, causing a sharp pain in her left arm.  
  
"Rina love, you're going to hurt yourself." Folken walked behind her and began unbuttoning the dress for her. Adrina held the front of the dress up as Folken unfastened the last button, and turned to face him. She looked to each side to gauge the distance and decided she had enough room. She took a deep breath and summoned her wings.  
  
She watched Folken's face change from confusion to shock as the beautiful white wings emerged behind her. He stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed as they stretched to their full length. Feathers fell softly all around her and Adrina finally found the right words. She looked up at her husband and their eyes locked.  
  
"Folken, I am a Draconian."  
  
*****************************************************  
  
Sorry, I know that was a long chapter but I didn't want to break it up into two because it all went together. Next chapter coming soon! 


	8. Wings

Folken stared down at Adrina in shock. "How?"  
  
"My father was a Draconian," Adrina replied.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Folken questioned.  
  
"I didn't know until I saw my name on the tree," Adrina answered.  
  
"Why didn't your father..." he trailed off, still trying to get a handle on the situation.  
  
"I don't know," Adrina told him, "perhaps my father didn't even know."  
  
"This is amazing," Folken breathed, "Look at them. Your wings are beautiful. You are beautiful. Adrina..." Folken pulled her into his arms. "I didn't think it was possible for you to be any more beautiful but this... Any who saw you now would know that Draconians aren't demons. You are an angel."  
  
"Folken..." Adrina whispered as tears gathered in her eyes. She had been so worried about his reaction to her discovery but she never imagined he would react with such compassion and love.  
  
"Now I see," Folken confessed, "why you were always so delighted to see my wings. If they are even half as beautiful as yours, then they are a sight to behold."  
  
"Hello Adrina, we just came to check and see if you're o...whoa!"  
  
Adrina and Folken turned to the door. Standing there were a wide-eyed Merle and Zane. No one said anything for a full minute while the cats stared at the snowy wings protruding from Adrina's back. Finally it was Merle who broke the silence.  
  
"Adrina, you have wings!"  
  
Adrina nodded. "Yes."  
  
"Does that mean...?" Merle trailed off as she crept forward slowly, almost as if she regarded the wings as enemies. Nothing was said until Merle stopped in front of her sister, her wary gaze never leaving the feathered appendages. "Adrina, what is going on?"  
  
"I'm a Draconian," Adrina informed.  
  
"What?!" Both cats exclaimed at once.  
  
"You're a Draconian?!" Merle repeated, "How?"  
  
"Father was a Draconian," Adrina explained, "and his mother before him and her mother before her."  
  
"How could you keep this from me all these years?" Merle's eyes filled with tears.  
  
"Merle, I didn't know," Adrina insisted, "not until I found my name on the family tree. Neither father nor mother ever told me."  
  
The tears dried in Merle's eyes and she turned her attention back to the wings. "They're so beautiful. Can I touch them?" Adrina nodded and Merle reached forward and gently ran her hand along the ivory feathers. The wing twitched under her fingers and she instinctively pulled back. "I'm sorry!"  
  
"It's okay Merle," Adrina assured, "It just tickles."  
  
Merle reached forward again and began to stroke the soft feathers. She turned back to the door where Zane still stood. "Zane c'mere! You've gotta feel this! Her feathers are so soft!"  
  
Zane came from the door and stood next to Merle. He shyly looked up at Adrina, who smiled and nodded. He smiled back and reached forward, gently running his fingers across the downy feathers. They both stroked the wings for a few more minutes, ten stepped back. Adrina's back had begun to ache from the unfamiliar weight of the wings and she dismissed them. The cats playfully batted at the few feathers that floated down as her wings disappeared. While the cats played with the feathers, Folken helped Adrina button up her dress.  
  
After all the feathers had been snatched out of the air of fallen to the ground, Merle turned back to Adrina.  
  
"So, what does it feel like to be a Draconian?"  
  
"It doesn't feel any different than before," Adrina replied.  
  
"It's so strange," Zane commented, "You've gone your entire life and never knew you are a Draconian."  
  
"It is strange," Adrina agreed, "but I'm glad I know now. These wings may come in handy some day."  
  
A sudden impact rocked the airship, sending everyone flying. Adrina pitched forward and was caught by Folken, who was holding on to a post on the bed. Merle flailed her arms as she started to fall towards the door. Adrina caught one of her hands and Merle in turn grabbed Zane. A moment later, a second impact shook the ship, causing it to sway back and forth.  
  
After a few minutes, the ship stopped rocking and leveled out. In the hallway outside the room, they could hear running steps and shouting.  
  
"Stay here," Folken ordered, "and hold on. They may not be done."  
  
Adrina, Merle and Zane grabbed onto the bedposts as Folken left the room. The ship began to rock again, but not as bad as before. They waited for a few more minutes, listening to what sounded like a battle on the roof. Finally, Adrina could take the suspense no longer.  
  
"I'm going to see what's going on," Adrina announced and headed towards the door.  
  
"But Lord Folken said to stay here," Zane reminded.  
  
"Since when do the Celone girls listen to men?" Merle questioned and joined her sister at the door. "Come on, let's see what's going on!"  
  
Merle and Adrina disappeared out the door. Zane stayed where he was for a second, then groaned and followed the women out the door. He met with them in the hallway as they headed towards the cargo hold. Before departure, Allen had insisted that a few guymelefs be brought along just in case they needed them. As the three Fanelians entered the cargo hold, they saw that the guymelefs had been dispatched.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Folken demanded as they entered. He stood with Van, Allen and a few of the Crusade II's crew by the open cargo bay door. "I told you to stay in the room."  
  
"Since when do the Celone girls..." Merle was interrupted by a stern look from Folken. He had heard her line before. "...not do what they're told?" She turned to her sister. "Adrina, why did you make us come down here when Folken told us to stay in the room?"  
  
Adrina rolled her eyes, then turned to Folken. "What's going on?"  
  
"We're under attack," Folken informed.  
  
"Under attack?" Adrina repeated, "by who?"  
  
"Naria and Eriya," Folken answered.  
  
"Naria and Eriya?!" Adrina shouted, "Who do they think they are? Ooo, I wish I could pilot a guymelef! I'd make them wish they had stayed with their precious sorcerers!"  
  
Van chuckled. "Calm down. Allen's men are teaching them a few lessons right now."  
  
As if on cue, the ship rocked slightly. Everyone struggled to keep their balance as the motion of the ship slowed and eventually stopped. Once they swaying had stopped, Adrina rushed out onto the open cargo ramp and looked up at the top of the airship. Naria and Eriya's metallic guymelefs were there, along with three from the Crusade II.  
  
"Adrina, get back in here!" Folken called.  
  
The words were tossed away as the wind from the moving airship whipped by her. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and watched as Eriya incapacitated one of the Asturian guymelefs. The other two were holding their own against Naria, but now that the odds had been evened, things were about to get rough for the crewmembers. One spun around and deflected Eriya's attack, but Adrina knew they couldn't hold off the twins forever.  
  
"I wanna see."  
  
Adrina looked down and saw Merle had joined her on the ramp. "Merle, what are you doing out here? Get back in there!"  
  
"Don't worry about m..." Merle was cut off as one of the guymelefs fell on the roof. The ship rocked back and forth and Adrina stumbled. She caught her balance quickly and looked over at Merle. She had stumbled a few feet closer to the edge of the ramp. She regained her balance and started to walk back to Adrina when another tremor shook the ship. Adrina watched in horror as Merle pinwheeled her arms frantically in a desperate attempt to keep herself upright, then lost the battle with gravity and fell over the side of the ramp.  
  
"Merle!" Adrina screamed and without thinking, jumped after her sister.  
  
"Adrina!" Van and Folken called but all she heard was the wind roaring in her ears as she freefell towards her sister. She summoned her wings and beat them furiously. A few seconds later, she caught Merle in midair. Merle wrapped her arms around Adrina's neck and held on tightly. With a flap of her wings, she stopped their fall and began to ascend back towards the Crusade II, which was rapidly pulling away from them. Descending from the airship were two more winged figures.  
  
Adrina ascended with Merle until she met up with Van and Folken. A look of relief washed over Folken while Van's face was a mask of shock.  
  
"Is she all right?" Folken inquired and motioned to Merle.  
  
"Yeah," Adrina nodded, "just a little shaken up."  
  
"We'd better get back to the Crusade," Folken suggested. Adrina agreed and they hurried back to the airship.  
  
As they got closer, Adrina could see that there was only one Asturian guymelef left standing and it was being attacked mercilessly by the twins' guymelefs. She landed on the cargo ramp, as did Folken and Van. They were surprised when Hitomi ran out to them.  
  
"Merle!" she cried and hugged the cat girl as Adrina sat her down, "I had a vision that you fell off the ship! I'm so glad you're okay!"  
  
Adrina turned her gaze back to the battle on the roof as the two girls hugged. She was watching the Asturian guymelef get the life beat out of him when something on the back of Eriya's guymelef caught her eye. It was the control panel cover.  
  
Folken had continued teaching Adrina about science and technology over the years. One of the things she had learned was that as a safety precaution, most guymelefs, including Escaflowne and the Asturian models, had the control panel in the control chamber. The control panel housed all the technological elements of the guymelef and one shot to it would immobilize the guymelef for sure. Having the control panel on the back of the guymelef showed either great arrogance or stupidity.  
  
Adrina unsheathed her sword as a plan formed in her mind. Before anyone could stop her, she took off towards Eriya's gold guymelef, which still had it's back to her. She landed lightly on the guymelef's shoulder and using her sword, pried open the hatch. Inside were criss-crossing wires and several plugs and switches. Knowing exactly what she was doing, Adrina began ripping out wires and plugs she knew would incapacitate the guymelef.  
  
Sure enough, Eriya's guymelef stopped moving and from inside it, Adrina could hear her shouting. Seeing the opportunity, the remaining Asturian melef rammed into her, sending her flying over the side of the ship and plummeting to the ground. Unfortunately this gave Naria the chance to stop the Asturian melef.  
  
As Naria's silver guymelef roughed up the Asturian, Adrina flew quickly over to her. Just as she got even with Naria, the Asturian guymelef fell and Adrina was spotted. Naria grabbed at her but Adrina dodged. Adrina tried to get behind Naria, but the silver guymelef was quick. It kept spinning and trying to catch her. Adrina flew back as the melef's right hand grabbed her, then screamed as the left hand closed around her ribs and lower body.  
  
"Got'cha!" Naria called, "let's see you get out of this one!"  
  
Naria squeezed Adrina hard, cutting off her air and causing pain to shoot through her entire body. She tried to scream again, but no sound came out as spots danced in front of her eyes. Through her haze, she saw Van fly up behind Naria's guymelef. She vaguely heard him pry open the control panel hatch and then the pressure on her body lessened. She slipped out of the hand and began to fall. She stopped a second later as strong arms closed around her. She looked up at Folken and smiled weakly before blackness enveloped her.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Adrina slowly opened her eyes. At first, the images were blurry and she couldn't make out anything. She blinked a few times and her vision cleared. She slowly looked around and was confused a second by her surroundings. Then she remembered she was on the Crusade II. She turned her head and groaned as pain shot up her back and into her head. She saw Folken sitting next to her.  
  
"It's good to see those beautiful lavender eyes again," Folken grinned.  
  
Adrina smiled back. "How long was I out?"  
  
"Since yesterday afternoon," Folken informed.  
  
Adrina nodded and winced as her head began to pound. "How bad am I hurt?"  
  
"Millerna said you have a few bruised ribs, but nothing serious," Folken informed, "You should get some more rest though."  
  
"What happened after I fainted?" Adrina inquired.  
  
"The last guymelef that Naria fought wasn't as damaged as she thought and managed to push her guymelef off the Crusade," Folken told her.  
  
"Is everyone okay?"  
  
"Everyone's fine," Folken assured, "although they were quite surprised to fine out that you are a Draconian."  
  
"How did they take it?" Adrina asked.  
  
"I explained everything to them and they accepted it," Folken replied.  
  
Adrina nodded again and cringed as the pain in her head worsened, causing the rest of her body to ache as well.  
  
"Does it hurt much?" Folken questioned.  
  
"A little," Adrina admitted.  
  
"Drink this." Folken held a cup to her lips.  
  
Adrina drank the syrupy liquid. "What is it?"  
  
"A sedative that Millerna gave me for you," Folken informed, "it should ease the pain and help you fall back to sleep."  
  
"But I'm not tired," Adrina insisted.  
  
"Trust me," Folken smiled, "once that sedative takes effect, you will be."  
  
Adrina smiled, thinking he was wrong, but fifteen minutes later she had slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep. 


	9. Plans

It had been two and a half weeks since they had visited the Records House. Folken, Adrina, Hitomi, Golan, Merle and Zane had all returned to Fanelia. Allen and Millerna had been given a copy of the list of living Draconians and now Asturia and Fanelia had messengers throughout Gaea that were warning the Draconians about the threat of the sorcerers. Reports from the messengers poured into the two countries daily but they weren't encouraging. Very few of the Draconians heeded the warning and went into hiding. Many did not even know they were Draconians and ignored the messengers. Others refused to listen. More had disappeared mysteriously and without a trace.  
  
"We have got to do something!" Van insisted. He, Folken, Adrina, Sir Chenley and a few of the Fanelian generals were sitting around a large table in the meeting room. "You know that the Draconians who cannot be found or have disappeared are in Zaibach!"  
  
"Yes," Folken agreed, "the sorcerers have gathered upwards of one hundred fifty Draconians that we know of. More are disappearing every day."  
  
"Then we have no choice but to attack Zaibach," Sir Chenley suggested, "the sorcerers cannot operate the Zeus if they are dead."  
  
"You would be obliterated before you reached the capital," Van told him, "One hundred fifty Draconians is enough to give Zeus the power to destroy an army."  
  
"Then what can we do?" A general asked.  
  
"We must destroy Zeus." All turned to Adrina, who hadn't spoken since the meeting began. "When the machine is destroyed, the sorcerers will fall."  
  
"But how do we destroy it if an army would be obliterated before even reaching the capital?" Another general questioned.  
  
"The Zeus was designed by Draconians and must be destroyed by Draconians," Adrina informed, "If enough Draconians gather, they will have the power to destroy Zeus."  
  
"Then what are we waiting for?" A third general demanded, "we must gather the Draconians and go to Zaibach immediately!"  
  
"Don't be so hasty," Adrina scolded, "to defeat the Zeus, the number of Draconians must be immense. I don't know if there are enough Draconians left on Gaea to fill the quota."  
  
"We can't sit around and do nothing!" the third general insisted, "We must try!"  
  
"And what if there aren't enough Draconians?" Van reminded, "We would be delivering power for the Zeus to the sorcerers on a silver plate."  
  
"It would be better to die trying than to sit and wait for the inevitable!" the general shouted.  
  
"That's easy for you to say!" Van shot back, "you aren't a Draconian!"  
  
"Enough!" Folken boomed, "it is obvious we don't yet know enough about the subject to make a safe decision. Queen Adrina and I will research the matter further and see what we can find. You are dismissed."   
  
The generals and Sir Chenley exited the room, leaving Van, Folken and Adrina alone. Van looked up at Folken.  
  
"This is bad, isn't it?" he asked his older brother. Folken nodded. "Do you think we'll make it though this one?"  
  
"We'll manage," Adrina comforted, "we always do."  
  
"We had better go work on that research," Folken said, "the sooner we have the answers, the sooner we can put our plan into motion and be done with this."  
  
The three of them stood up and exited the meeting room. Van headed off towards his wing of the castle while Folken and Adrina went to theirs. Adrina grabbed the book from the Records House and the one from the Asturian library. She lifted them both with strain.  
  
"I'm going to the library," Adrina told Folken, "I may need to cross-reference something."  
  
Folken took the books from her. "If you pull those stitches out again, Millerna is going to kill you."  
  
Adrina looked down at her left arm, which was mending with it's second set of stitches. The first had been pulled out during the attack by Naria and Eriya. "Don't worry Folken. It's almost healed."  
  
"It may be but carrying around twenty pounds of books isn't going to help it," Folken chided, "I'm going to speak with Sir Chenley about what we can do for the time being to protect Fanelia. I'll carry them to the library for you."  
  
Adrina followed Folken out of the parlor and down the corridors to the library. He deposited the books on a table and waited until she sat down. Folken kissed her forehead and told her he'd be back as soon as he could.  
  
After he was gone, Adrina opened the Records House book and flipped through until she found the passages discussing the construction of the machine. It gave references to some sort of key that needed to be used to operate the machine but she wasn't worried about that. She skipped down and found what she was looking for.  
  
The book stated that if the Zeus was to be destroyed, Draconians from both sides of the family tree must come together. It didn't say how many must come or what they must do. Adrina started to close the book when a paragraph on the next page caught her eye. She had read up until the top of the page where the book began discussing how to run the Zeus and hadn't thought it important but right in the middle of the explanation was hte information she needed.  
  
"To destroy the Zeus, innumerable Draconians from each side of the tree must gather. How many depends on how strong the will of the gathered Draconians is. The more Draconians who are gathered, the stronger their will will be. Once they are gathered, the Murasaki Tatsu and Sekichiku Namida must be held in the air by their rightful owners. The Murasaki Tatsu must be wielded by the last first-born on Kuji's side and Sekichiku Namida must be wielding by the youngest last-born of Shinji's line. The will of the Draconians will be concentrated in the stones and amplified enough to destroy Zeus."  
  
Having found the information she needed, Adrina gathered up the books and hurried back to her parlor. She put the books on a table and went out in search of Folken. She found him and Chenley talking in the meeting room they had left no more than half an hour ago.  
  
"Folken, I found it!" Adrina announced.  
  
"Found what?" Sir Chenley questioned.  
  
"How to destroy Zeus!" Adrina told them excitedly.  
  
"How?" Chenley asked eagerly.  
  
"Like I said earlier," Adrina started, "Draconians from both sides of the tree must be gathered. The book doesn't say how many Draconians because it depends on the strength of their will. Once they are gathered, the power of their will is concentrated into the pendants and amplified enough to destroy Zeus. All we have to do is gather the Draconians and go to Zaibach. We've already got the stones."  
  
"It's easier said than done," Folken reminded, "the Draconians are disappearing rapidly and most won't admit that they are Draconians."  
  
"But once we explain the situation, they'll listen," Adrina insisted, "they have to!"  
  
"Rina love, we can talk about this later," Folken said, "Right now, Chenley and I need to discuss the matters of safety here in Fanelia before he leaves."  
  
"Leaves?" Adrina inquired.  
  
"Yes M'lady," Chenley replied, "I am going to visit my sister and her family for a few days in Freid."  
  
"Oh, well have fun," Adrina smiled.  
  
"Thank you, M'lady. I will."  
  
"You're welcome." Adrina turned to Folken. "I greatly anticipate our talk, my Lord." Adrina curtsied slightly and left the room.  
  
"Her Ladyship doesn't seem very pleased with the reaction you had to her findings my King," Chenley pointed out.  
  
Folken sighed. "Not pleased" was an understatement. Adrina never addressed him formally or bowed unless she was teasing him or showing she was irritated with him. The last seemed to be true in this case. Folken stood. "Chenley, I think I should take care of this now. We'll finish our conversation later."  
  
"Of course," Chenley agreed as Folken hurried out the door after Adrina.  
  
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Adrina hurried down the halls towards her room. She was upset by Folken's lack of interest in her discovery and had let him know by her actions in the meeting room. She knew she was being childish but she didn't care. She had discovered a way to stop Zeus. Wasn't that something to get excited about?  
  
Adrina reached her parlor and entered. She walked across the room and plopped down on a large couch that faced the door. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited. Not a minute later, the door opened and Folken entered. He spotter her on the couch and smiled apologetically. Adrina continued to scowl as he approached.  
  
"Rina, I know you are upset with me," Folken began. Adrina still showed no signs of any emotion except anger. "Please don't be. I know you are excited over your findings, but we have to be realistic. There probably isn't enough Draconians left on Gaea to stop Zeus."  
  
"You're right Folken," Adrina agreed sarcastically, "So instead of at least trying, we'll just sit here and wait for the sorcerers to obliterate our country. That's a much better idea."  
  
"Adrina..."  
  
"Don't you see Folken?" Adrina beseeched, "Gathering the Draconians is the only chance we have! We probably won't have enough Draconians to destroy Zeus, but what if we do? I'd rather die trying to save Gaea than sit here like a coward and wait for the end to come anyway."  
  
Folken sighed. "The odds are against us."  
  
"When aren't they?" Adrina questioned, "In the war with Zaibach, Fanelia didn't have a chance and yet we still emerged victorious. Why? Because we never lost hope. If hope is lost, then we are as well."  
  
Folken reached forward and stroked Adrina's cheek. "How did you get so wise?"  
  
Adrina shrugged. "This will work, Folken. I won't lose to the sorcerers, even if I have to sneak into Zaibach and kill them all myself."  
  
"You are right," Folken agreed, "Gathering the Draconians is the only chance we've got to save Gaea and we must take it. I will send a message to Asturia in the morning. We will gather the Draconians and destroy the Zeus."  
  
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The days passed and more messages about Draconians flowed in. The new message that was sent out asked all Draconians to meet either in Fanelia or Asturia. Many came to Fanelia and many were staying in Asturia. Messengers went back and forth between the two countries daily, relaying messages of war plans and names of Draconians who had been gathered.  
  
With Chenley gone to Freid, Van had assumed the position of commanding the Fanelian Army. Half of the Fanelian Army along with half of the Asturian Army was going to march with the Draconians to Zaibach incase the sorcerers sent out soldiers to stop them. They knew, however, if the sorcerers used Zeus, there would be nothing they could do.  
  
The day of departure was rapidly approaching and the entire country of Fanelia was busy. Wagons had to be made for the Draconians to travel in, along with supplies to take on the journey. The trail over the mountains was too narrow for such a host to cross, so they planned to travel around the mountains, adding four days to their trip.  
  
Three days before their departure, the Asturian Army marched into Fanelia with the Draconians who had congregated there. Adrina and Folken were surprised to see Allen leading the troops.  
  
"Allen!" Folken greed as the King of Asturia dismounted his horse, "I didn't expect to see you leading the army."  
  
"Who else would lead the Asturian Army into battle?" Allen questioned, "I may not be a Draconian, but that doesn't mean I can't help."  
  
"I see you've brought guymelefs." Folken motioned to the giant suits of armor marching up behind the Army.  
  
"Yes," Allen nodded, "I figured we may need them in case those cat friends of yours decide to pay us another visit."  
  
After a few more minutes of idle chatter, Folken welcomed the Draconians and had servants show them to the places they would be staying while in Fanelia. After everyone had been settled, Folken, Allen, Van and the generals of the two armies went to the meeting room to put the finishing touches on the plans.  
  
Adrina left the men to their discussion and went in search of Merle. She found her in her room. Adrina entered and sat down on the bed next to her sister.  
  
"Where's Zane?" Adrina asked.  
  
"Helping with the supplies," Merle answered.  
  
"Oh." They were silent for a minute. "Merle, I need to talk to you."  
  
"If this is about the vase in the main hall, I didn't break it," Merle insisted, "Zane pushed me and I accidentally knocked it off the shelf."  
  
Adrina looked down at her sister with a smile. "Well actually, that's not what I wanted ot talk to you about."  
  
"Oh." Merle smiled innocently, "then just forget everything I said. What did you want to talk to me about?"  
  
The smile left Adrina's face and she took a deep breath. "As you know, we're leaving in three days." Merle nodded. "And there's a good chance we won't be coming back."  
  
"Oh Adrina, don't say that!" Merle begged.  
  
"It's true," Adrina said, "and if we don't come back, someone's going to have to run Fanelia. Normally it would go to Hitomi but since Van agreed to let her and Golan come along, that won't work. Folken, Van, Hitomi and I have talked it out and we decided if we all perish in Zaibach, we want you to be the new Queen of Fanelia."  
  
"Me?!" Merle asked in disbelief, "I don't know the first thing about running a country!"  
  
"The advisors will help you," Adrina assured, "and besides, if we fail, your reign as Queen will be short."  
  
Merle looked up at Adrina, her eyes filled with tears. "Adrina, I'm really scared."  
  
"We all are." Adrina hugged her sister, "but I believe that we can do this and everything will be all right in the end."  
  
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The sorcerers stood in front of the kneeling man, their black cloaks giving them the appearance of obsidian pillars with faces.  
  
"What news from Fanelia?"  
  
"The Queen has discovered the way to destroy the Zeus," The man informed, "they have gathered all the Draconians they could and will leave Fanelia in three days to come here."  
  
"Do they have the stones?"  
  
"Yes," the man answered, "the King wears the purple one and the prince wears the pink one."  
  
"Excellent. Let them come. Once we defeat them, we will take the stones and use them to boost Zeus to full power. They are delivering to us their own destruction and they don't even know it!" The sorcerer turned to the man still kneeling on the floor. "You have done well, Chenley. When the planet is ours you will be given your choice of countries."  
  
"Thank you, my Lords." Chenley stood and hurried out of the dark room.  
  
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This chapter wasn't that exciting but we did learn some stuff, didn't we? The final battle should occur in the next chapter and that should be the end of it. I may include an epilogue or perhaps another chapter. I'm not sure because I don't know how the story is going to end yet. Hopefully I'll update soon, but it probably won't be until Monday. 


	10. Eternal Farewell

"Halt!"  
  
The huge congregation of soldiers and Draconians came to a stop. Two miles ahead of them, the capital city of Zaibach loomed out of the deepening dusk. Lights sprang up all over the city, further illuminating it in the dim light.  
  
"We'll camp here for the night and continue on tomorrow morning," Folken informed the generals. They nodded and went to spread the word throughout the crowd. Folken looked over at Adrina, who was mounted beside him on her own horse. "Tomorrow is it. The day of glory or the day of destruction, we'll find out soon enough which."  
  
They dismounted and walked to the carriage Van, Hitomi and Golan were traveling in. They were just climbing out as they approached. Neither Van nor Hitomi said anything as they exited the carriage and Adrina assumed they had had another fight. Ever since Hitomi had insisted on coming along and bringing Golan, she and Van had got into countless fights. They were all the same. Van would beg Hitomi to go back to Fanelia and she would refuse, stating that Golan was a Draconian and could help them destroy Zeus. They would argue and it would end with Hitomi staying and both of them angry at each other.  
  
Van and Folken went off with Allen to discuss their attack while the tents were being erected. Folken and Adrina's tent was put up and the women went inside to wait for dinner. Golan played cheerfully on the floor as Adrina and Hitomi talked.  
  
"Van and I had another fight," Hitomi divulged.  
  
"I kind of figured," Adrina said.  
  
"He just doesn't get it," Hitomi complained, "Golan and I won't be any safer in Fanelia. If the Draconians don't destroy Zeus, Fanelia is as good as gone."  
  
"You're right," Adrina agreed, "Van just thinks of Fanelia as a safe haven."  
  
"I know," Hitomi sighed, "I hate fighting with him but he won't let it go. I just feel like strangling him!"  
  
Adrina laughed. "I know what you mean. Sometimes I feel the same way about Folken."  
  
Hitomi smiled, but the smile quickly turned to a frown. "Today, Van suggested I take Golan and go back to earth. The sad thing is, for a split second, I almost agreed. I wanted to leave it all behind and take my son to safety. I felt so ashamed." Hitomi looked up at Adrina and there were tears in the younger woman's eyes. "Adrina, do you think we'll win? Do you think you and the others can destroy Zeus?"  
  
"I honestly don't know," Adrina answered truthfully, "I want to believe we can do it but realistically I just don't know."  
  
Hitomi nodded solemnly. "I don't want to admit it, but I'm afraid."  
  
"I am too," Adrina confessed, "everyone is but the only way to conquer the fear is to confront it."  
  
Outside, the dinner bell rang and they went out to get their meal. They were met by Van and Folken and sat down to eat together. After their dinner was finished, the two couples went their separate ways. When they parted, Van and Hitomi were speaking with each other, which was good. Folken and Adrina went to their tent to retire for the night.  
  
"Folken," Adrina started, "what do you think our chances for success are?"  
  
Folken looked over at the woman lying next to him. "I would say we have a fairly decent chance."  
  
"In other words," Adrina interpreted forlornly, "we're all going to die."  
  
"Adrina," Folken started, "I thought you had faith in your plan."  
  
"I did," Adrina replied, "I do, it's just...There's a very real chance that none of us are going to survive this. I've already lost you twice, I can't even think of losing you when I could prevent it."  
  
Folken wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her forehead. "Rina love, if we fail, it's not your fault."  
  
"I just keep thinking that there is more I can do," Adrina told him.  
  
"There is nothing more anyone can do," Folken assured, "all that could be done has been. All we can do now is execute the plan and hope it works."  
  
"I don't want this to be the last time I fall asleep in your arms," Adrina said.  
  
Folken made no reply and Adrina decided to get some sleep. She closed her eyes and fell into a fitful slumber.  
  
The next morning, everyone was awakened a few hours after dawn. Breakfast was made, the tents were taken down and the wagons packed for what most assumed was the last time. The entire congregation was somber as they prepared for the final leg of their journey.  
  
As Adrina looked around the camp at the Draconians, she wished she had convinced everyone to make the children stay behind. In Fanelia, Adrina had told the Draconians that their children should stay behind. They had refused to leave them for the same reason Hitomi had refused to leave Golan. They were Draconians as well and could help destroy the Zeus. While none of the children were quite as young as Golan, many were only a few years old. These young children played happily with their siblings or other Draconian children, blissfully unaware that they were marching to their doom.  
  
The wagons were loaded and the host started towards the capital city of Zaibach. Adrina rode at the front of the procession with Folken, Allen and a few of the generals. Everyone was silent as they approached their destination and each person was lost in their own thoughts of sorrow and fear.  
  
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"They are approaching the capital, my Lords," Chenley informed as he bowed before the sorcerers, "they will be here in a little over and hour."  
  
"Good," the lead sorcerer sneered, "Let them come. Naria! Eriya!"  
  
The two cats appeared out of the shadows and bowed. "Yes, my Lord?"  
  
"Take your guymelefs and meet them," the sorcerer ordered, "I want their entire melef unit wiped out. I don't want to deal with it when they get here. Do not harm the Draconians."  
  
"Yes my Lord," the sisters agreed in unison and disappeared back into the shadows.  
  
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"What's that?"  
  
Adrina squinted against the midday sun and followed the blonde King's finger to the direction he was pointing. Two shimmering specs had left the capital and were now rocketing towards them at super speed.  
  
"Guymelefs," Folken answered.  
  
"Naria and Eriya," Adrina added.  
  
"Bring the melef units to the front," Folken told the generals, "and stop the congregation. We're under attack."  
  
The generals nodded and rode through the people to the guymelefs. Already, the Draconians were beginning to panic and cry our in surprise. Adrina and Folken rode over to the carriage and dismounted just as Van emerged from it.  
  
"What's going on?" he demanded.  
  
"Naria and Eriya are closing in fast from the capital." Folken pointed over the barren land to the two guymelefs. Without a word, Van darted past Adrina, mounted her horse and took off towards the back of the congregation.  
  
"Van!" Adrina called. She turned to Folken. "What is he doing?"  
  
"I don't know." Folken mounted his own horse and hurried after his brother.  
  
"M'lady."  
  
Adrina turned and was face to face with a Draconian woman clutching her young daughter. "M'lady, what do we do?"  
  
Adrina stared at the woman blankly for a moment, then hurried over to the wagon the woman had come from. She flipped up the driver's seat and pressed a button concealed underneath. Two poles shot down from under the wagon and embedded themselves into the ground, making it impossible for the wagon to move.  
  
"Take your family and crawl under the wagon," Adrina instructed, "those poles in the ground will keep the wagon from moving in case the horses get spooked. Don't come out until the enemy guymelefs are dealt with."  
  
The woman nodded and quickly ushered her children under the wagon. Adrina turned her attention to the congregation.  
  
"Listen up everyone!" Adrina shouted, "We are under attack! To protect yourselves and your families, flip up the driver's seat of your wagon. Underneath is a button on the right hand side. Press it and two poles will secure the wagon so it won't move. Once this is done, climb under your wagon and don't come our until the threat has passed!"  
  
Adrina knew that only those close to her had heard her instructions, so she made her way through the crowd repeating her instructions and helping the Draconians. She was soon joined by Hitomi and a few Draconians. Together, they managed to make sure the wagons were secure and the Draconians were safely underneath them. Once she was satisfied everyone was safe, Adrina and Hitomi headed back towards the carriage. The few Draconians who had helped them were already ducked under wagons.  
  
Just as Hitomi and Adrina reached the carriage, the enemy guymelefs roared close overhead. Both women dropped to the ground and tried to shield the wailing Golan from the stirred up dust. The twin guymelefs flew over the wagons and swooped down on the melef units, disabling a few with their razor sharp claws. They then ascended into the sky and circled the congregation, preparing for another attack.  
  
From her position on the ground, Adrina saw a very familiar shadow slide over her and Hitomi. She looked up but her vision was blinded by the light of the sun. She heard a crash above her and something big hit the dirt on the other side of the carriage. Adrina jumped up and ran around the carriage. Naria's guymelef lay in the dirt where it had fallen. The shadow passed over again and Adrina stared open-mouthed at what landed in front of her. Standing tall and proud, backlit by the sun, was Escaflowne.  
  
The legend stated that only the King of Fanelia could pilot Escaflowne but because of the bond he had forged with it, Escaflowne only answered to Van. Adrina had not seen Escaflowne in action since the war with Zaibach and the sight of it took her breath away.  
  
As she looked on, Naria's guymelef tried to stand. Escaflowne kicked at it but Naria's guymelef grabbed Escaflowne's foot and yanked on it, sending the white guymelef to the ground. Naria was up a second later and perched over Escaflowne threateningly, her claws raised for a strike. Without warning, another guymelef rammed into Naria, sending her guymelef sprawling. Adrian was shocked to see that the new guymelef was Sherezade.  
  
When they left Fanelia, there were two wagons being pulled by guymelefs towards the back of the group. One Allen had brought from Asturia and the other Van ordered to be brought along. No one had ever been told what the wagons held but now Adrina knew that they had transported the two legendary guymelefs.  
  
Adrina watched as Sherezade tangled with Naria while Escaflowne stood up. The white melef had barely regained it's feet when Eriya descended out of the sky and attacked it. The two comrades fought the sisters expertly and Adrina looked on in awe. It was almost like at dream to see the two fighting side by side again.  
  
A crash behind her had Adrina spinning around. One of the guymelefs fell to the ground for apparently no reason. Next to it, another did the same. Adrina watched as the air rippled and the outline of a guymelef appeared vaguely. Adrina realized that Zaibach guymelefs using stealth cloaks had snuck up on them while they prepared for the attack by Naria and Eriya.  
  
Another guymelef fell, this one landing dangerously close to a few of the wagons. Knowing that if a guymelef did land on a wagon, it would be crushed along with those under it, Adrina took off towards the battle.  
  
"Lead them away from the wagons!" Adrina screamed as she approached, "Lead them away from the wagons!"  
  
The guymelef pilots seemed to hear her and began to lead the invisible guymelefs away from the unarmed Draconians. Adrina stopped running and tried to catch her breath as the melef units defended against the Zaibach giants.  
  
"Adrina, what are you doing out here in the open?"  
  
Adrina looked up to see Folken mounted on his horse next to her.  
  
"I...had to...tell the melefs...to stay away...from the wagons," Adrina managed through her breathlessness.  
  
"You should be hiding somewhere where you'll be safe," Folken chided. He pulled her onto his horse and rode through the wagons back to the carriage. "Go into the carriage and wait until the threat has passed."  
  
Adrina slipped off the horse and climbed into the carriage, pulling the door shut behind her. Hitomi and Golan were there as well. Hitomi was cradling her son gently and looking out the window at the battle between the twins and Van and Allen. Adrina joined her at the window and stared out as the guymelefs attacked and defended.  
  
As they watched, the battle escalated. The twins had obviously trained more with their guymelefs and were giving the two men a workout. The melefs struck and defended with almost super speed. Eriya lunged at Allen but he was too fast. He rammed Sherezade's sword through the head of Eriya's guymelef. Sparks flew as the melef was incapacitated. Sherezade removed it's sword and the gold guymelef began to fall.  
  
Adrina and Hitomi looked up, stunned, as the guymelef began to fall right towards them. Adrina snapped out of it first and grabbed Hitomi's arm  
  
"Go!" she shouted. Hitomi seemed not to understand for a second, then realization dawned on her face and she dashed to the door. The two women scrambled out of the carriage and ran as fast as they could away from it. Not a second after they had gotten safely away, the gold guymelef landed on the carriage, crushing it to pieces.  
  
The women coughed as the dust from the fallen guymelef surrounded them. When it cleared they could see that the battle continued and the odds were in favor of the men. Despite her almost impending doom, Naria fought still and perhaps with even more skill than before her sister fell.  
  
Adrina looked over the fallen gold guymelef and seeing no signs of life, they turned their backs to it to watch the fight. Neither woman saw the control chamber open or the gold twin emerge. In fact, they weren't aware of Eriya's presence until she crept up behind them and grabbed Hitomi. The younger woman screamed and Adrina turned just in time to see Eriya dig her claws into Hitomi's neck. Eriya released her and stepped back. Blood spurted from the open hole in her throat and Hitomi and her baby fell to the ground.  
  
"Hitomi!"  
  
"Hitomi?"  
  
Hitomi jumped as Adrina touched her arm. She had the glazed look and distant gaze that Adrina recognized all too well.  
  
"Hitomi, what is it?" Adrina prodded, "what did you see?"  
  
"Eriya..." Hitomi trailed off. Her face was pale and she was shaking.  
  
"Eriya?" Adrina turned and was surprised to see the golden haired twin sneaking up on them. She stopped when she realized she had been spotted.  
  
Adrina wasted no time drawing her sword. "I should've known you weren't dead."  
  
"Do you think I'd let that blond haired sissy boy beat me?" Eriya sneered.  
  
"No," Adrina admitted, "but you would've been better off if you had stayed in your guymelef until we were gone."  
  
"And why is that?" Eriya laughed, "Are you going to kill me?"  
  
"It seems as though I don't have a choice," Adrina stated.  
  
"Foolish girl," Eriya taunted, "You can't kill me!"  
  
"I admit, it seems to be quite difficult," Adrina said, "you are like a roach. Unfortunately for you, I'm the exterminator."  
  
Eriya threw back her head and laughed. "Let's see what you've got, Queen Adrina."  
  
Eriya sprinted across the short distance between them and lunged at Adrina. Adrina sidestepped and Eriya flew past her, stumbling slightly. She regained her balance and spun around, a low growl rumbling in her throat. Adrina stood motionless, her sword held in front of her. Without a word, the two females charged at each other. Sparks flew as Adrina's sword collided with Eriya's mechanical arm. Eriya swung her arm out, causing Adrina to take a few steps back.  
  
"You'll have to do better than that if you want to beat me," Eriya smirked.  
  
"You'll have to do better than that if you want to stay alive," Adrina shot back.  
  
Eriya charged Adrina again and swung with her claws. Adrina blocked with her sword and sliced open the cat woman's cheek. Eriya shrieked and stepped back. Adrina could see the anger and hatred burning in her crimson eyes as Eriya glared at her.  
  
"You'll pay for that," Eriya vowed. She swung at Adrina again, who instinctively used her sword to block. Unfortunately, that's what Eriya wanted. The force of the blow knocked the sword from Adrina's hand and sent it clattering to the ground about ten feet away. Before she could even think of retrieving it, Eriya pounced on her and knocked her to the ground. The cat woman perched on Adrina's chest, pining her to the dirt.  
  
"Looks like I win again," Eriya announced and raised her mechanical arm. The six-inch claws sprang out with a metallic scrape.  
  
Adrina began feeling around on the ground for something she could use as a weapon to defend herself. Her hand closed over a large rock and she swung her arm with full force towards Eriya. The rock smashed into the feline's head and she flew off of Adrina.  
  
Wasting no time, Adrina rolled across the ground to her sword. Her hand closed around the hilt and she rolled over onto her back. Her eyes widened as she saw Eriya in the air above her. The golden haired woman landed hard on Adrina. Suddenly, her eyes went wide and she gasped as her eyes looked down. Adrina was confused and followed Eriya's gaze. She was shocked to find her sword was jammed into Eriya's chest. As she watched, bright red blood oozed around the sword and fell onto Adrina.  
  
When the hot drops hit Adrina, she snapped out of her stupor. She pushed Eriya off of her and withdrew her sword as she got to her feet. The cat woman fell to the ground and covered the wound with her good hand. The blood pumped out anyway and seeped through her fingers. Adrina looked down at the sword in her hand and with disgust, flung it to the dirt.  
  
"Naria," Eriya whispered hoarsely and turned her head so she could see the battle. Adrina followed suit and saw Escaflowne's sword was stuck into the silver guymelef's control chamber. The sword was withdrawn and the guymelef crashed to the ground.  
  
"Naria," Eriya repeated. She looked back at Adrina, her eyes glazed. "Please. Please bring my sister to me so we don't have to die alone."  
  
Adrina nodded and ran over to where Naria's guymelef lay. Van had exited the Escaflowne and was opening the control chamber of the silver melef.  
  
"Van!" Adrina called, "Van, get her out of there!"  
  
"What?" Van looked down at Adrina like she was crazy. "Why?"  
  
"Eriya's dying," Adrina informed, "she doesn't want to die alone!"  
  
Van stared down at her for a second, then scooped the injured Naria out of the melef and climbed down. Adrina could see that Naria's wound was much worse than Eriya's and she didn't protest as Van took her to her sister. He laid the silver twin in the dirt next to her gold counterpart.  
  
"Naria," Eriya entwined her fingers with her sister.  
  
"Eriya," Naria murmured, her voice barely audible.  
  
"Finally, we can rest," Eriya said, "no more fighting."  
  
"And we can see Mama and Papa again," Naria added weakly.  
  
Eriya smiled and looked up at Adrina. "Please, tell Lord Folken we're sorry for everything. Our minds were clouded, but we see clearly now. Will you tell him?"  
  
"Yes," Adrina replied, tears rolling down her cheeks. She looked up at Hitomi, who had joined her and Van from the place she had hidden when Eriya attacked. She too had tears in her eyes.  
  
"Hold on to me, Naru-Naru," Eriya instructed, "We don't want to be separated it the afterlife."  
  
"I am, Belle-Belle," Naria promised.   
  
Both sisters closed their eyes and died at the exact same moment. Adrina bowed her head and said a prayer for the twins as tears poured from her eyes. She didn't know how long she sat there, mourning their passing but the next thing she knew, someone was calling her name. She looked up and saw Folken standing next to her.  
  
"Adrina," Folken said. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.  
  
"Folken, I'm so sorry," Adrina cried.  
  
"Sssh, love, it's all right," he comforted.  
  
"I...I killed her!" Adrina stammered, "I killed Eriya!"  
  
"It's all right," Folken soothed, "It was unavoidable. She would've killed you if she could have."  
  
Adrina took a deep breath and slowed her tears. She pulled back slightly and looked up at Folken. "They wanted me to tell you that they were sorry for everything."  
  
Folken nodded and a single tear rolled down his own cheek. He wiped it away quickly and turned to a few soldiers standing behind him. "Wrap their bodies in blankets and load them into the wagon. Do not separate them."  
  
The soldiers nodded and hurried off to the supply wagons. They returned a few minutes later with some blankets. They carefully wrapped the twins' bodies in the blankets and carried them back to the wagons.  
  
Once they were gone, Folken turned to Adrina. "We should get moving again."  
  
Adrina nodded numbly and turned to where her horse was being held by a soldier. She walked over to him and stopped when she saw her sword lying in the dirt. She bent and picked it up. The end was still wet with Eriya's blood. She closed her eyes for a second, then wiped the blood on a cloth she took from her pocket. When the sword was clean, she sheathed it and dropped the cloth to the ground.  
  
The wagons were loaded and mobilized again. Allen decided to stay in Sherezade in case they were attacked and Van thought it best to pilot Escaflowne as well. Since the carriage had been destroyed, Hitomi and Golan were riding in a wagon with the other Draconians. As soon as everyone was settled and ready, the procession started off towards the capital city once again.  
  
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I thought this was going to be the last chapter, but I wanted to end this one with the deaths of Naria and Eriya. The names that they call each other right before they die are the names they were given at birth before Folken renamed them. I just had to add Escaflowne into this chapter. I mean, come on, what's an Escaflowne fic without Escaflowne? Sherezade was there just to even the odds with Naria and Eriya. The next chapter is the last one (except for a short epilogue) and is pretty short. The showdown with the sorcerers and Zeus! Dun dun dun! Will our heroes survive it? Or will they all fall before the mighty Zeus? Read and find out!!! 


	11. Endgame

Chenley entered the dark room and stopped in front of a row of ten elderly, wicked, pale faces. "The Draconians are here, my Lords," he informed after kneeling down before the sorcerers, "they are waiting outside."  
  
"Let's not keep them waiting any longer."  
  
The sorcerers walked single file out of the room and up a flight of stairs. Chenley followed obediently behind.  
  
The congregation of soldiers and Draconians stared up at the capital building, anxiously waiting for something to happen. When they marched into the city, they had expected an ambush, maybe for Zeus itself to obliterate them before they had a chance to destroy it. Instead, they had been met with nothing. No soldiers, no attacks, not a single person had been seen since they entered the capital of Zaibach. Everyone was on edge as they waited for the final showdown to begin.  
  
A movement on the roof of the building drew everyone's attention. One by one the ten sorcerers emerged from a trap door and situated themselves on the roof. After they had all emptied onto the top of the building, one especially wicked looking sorcerer stepped forward and grinned evilly.  
  
"Welcome, Draconians, to Zaibach," the sorcerer greeted, "it is a pleasure indeed to have so many of the winged people gathered."  
  
"If you think we are here for a casual visit, then you are mistaken," Folken spoke, his voice loud and full of authority, "we have come to destroy your Zeus machine."  
  
"Yes, yes," the sorcerer nodded, "we are well aware of your intentions. I did not think you would come for a visit with half the Asturian and Fanelian Armies, not to mention all the guymelefs. And..." the sorcerer paused. "Do my eyes deceive me? Escaflowne and Sherazade? No wonder Naria and Eriya failed to complete their task. Oh well. Good riddance to bad rubbish."  
  
"How can you say such a terrible thing?!" Adrina demanded, "They fought and died for you because you poisoned their minds against Folken. They obeyed your every command and all you can say is 'good riddance to bad rubbish'? You sorcerers are fools and cowards."  
  
"Ah, Queen Adrina," the sorcerer addressed, "the brave woman who left Fanelia without a word to anyone and rescued her husband from Zaibach. It's a good thing you didn't mention you plans to any advisors."  
  
"What?" Adrina questioned, "What do you mean? Why?"  
  
"Because if you did, I would've found out and warned the sorcerers"  
  
Adrina, Folken, Van and Hitomi gasped as Sir Chenley joined the sorcerers on the roof. "My Lord, my Lady."  
  
"Chenley?" Adrina inquired.  
  
"Yes, my Lady, it is I," Chenley replied.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"As they say, my Lady, 'It is better to be on the right side of the devil than to be in his path,'" Chenley answered.  
  
"You," Adrina accused, "it was you who told Zaibach where Folken was so they could kidnap him. You knew that Rindus couldn't defend against the guymelefs and you knew Folken would turn himself over in order to save the city. You bastard! We both could've been killed!"  
  
"Tsk tsk," the sorcerer chided, "such terrible language from such a proper young lady."  
  
Rage coursed through her veins as the sorcerer taunted her. She turned to Folken and stretching onto her toes, unhooked the purple dragon necklace from his neck. She held the chain so the pendant dangled and raised it above her head.  
  
"Do you know what this is?" Adrina shouted, "This is the Murasaki Tatsu, the purple dragon. With the Sekichiku Namida, your destruction will be at hand. Zeus will be destroyed and so will you!"  
  
"My dear Queen," the sorcerer smiled, "those are very harsh threats. Would you at least like to see it before you destroy it?" He turned to one of the other sorcerers and said something. The sorcerer nodded and the group. He was hidden behind the other sorcerers so no one on the ground could see what he was doing. A second later a rumbling began in the building and the sorcerers stepped aside as a giant machine rose out of the ceiling.  
  
The Zeus was massive and took up at least half of the roof. The lower half of the machine was shaped like a box and made of a gray metal. On the front were many knobs, switches and gauges. The top half of the Zeus was made of clear, glass tubes that entwined with one another and entered the gray part in different spots.  
  
"Behold the might Zeus!" the sorcerer cried.  
  
"I am not impressed," Adrina told him.  
  
"Then perhaps a demonstration of it's power will tickle you fancy," the sorcerer suggested.  
  
"No!" The cry echoed all throughout the congregation as the sorcerer turned to the others.  
  
"Power up the Zeus!" he ordered. Another sorcerer shuffled over to the machine and pushed a series of buttons. The Zeus began to whir and a chugging sound emitted as the clear tubes filled with a red liquid. Adrina felt sick when she realized it was blood.  
  
Adrina tore her gaze from the horrid machine and turned to Van, who stood on the other side of Folken with Hitomi and Golan. "Are you ready?" Van nodded. "Okay, let's do this."  
  
Both stones were raised into the air. "It's time!" Adrina shouted, "concentrate with everything you've got on the pendants!"  
  
Adrina could feel the wills and energy of the Draconians coursing through her as she held the purple jewel over her head. She looked up and saw the gem was glowing a radiant purple. She looked over at Van and saw the pendant was glowing as well.  
  
Suddenly, Adrina felt her wings burst through her dress. She looked around and saw that all the Draconians wings had appeared. Even Golan's tiny wings had appeared and he laughed as miniature feathers floated around him. Adrina felt her feet lift off the ground and realized that her wings were moving by themselves. All the gathered Draconians rose into the air until they were even with the rooftop.  
  
"Foolish demons," the sorcerer sneered, "you cannot defeat us! You cannot destroy Zeus!"  
  
Adrina ignored him and concentrated on channeling the energy in her body through the pendant. It's glow was so bright now it hurt her eyes to look directly at it. She heard the Zeus powering up and knew that if they didn't destroy the machine soon, it would destroy them.  
  
Then, from somewhere in the group of Draconians, someone yelled, "it isn't working."  
  
Almost immediately the power in her body lessened and the pendant's glow dimmed. Adrina looked around as she began to descend back to the ground. Panic began to build inside of her.  
  
"No!" She shouted, "don't give up! It is working! Concentrate!"  
  
The power still diminished and the Draconians continued their descent. Desperately seeking comfort, Adrina reached out and grabbed Folken's hand. Suddenly, the power of the Draconians returned to her body in a rush like a tidal wave. Adrina gasped as the power cascaded through her and collected in the pendant. The purple glow was so bright it appeared almost white.  
  
When Adrina felt she could take no more of the onslaught of power, a white beam shot out of the pendant and was joined by another beam from Van's pendant. The two beams merged and struck the Zeus. The machine began shake as the beam melted it. Zeus shuddered once again and then exploded with a white light.  
  
Everyone shielded their eyes from the blast. Once the intense light subsided, the Draconians turned back to the roof. Surprisingly, there was no sign of Zeus. Every trace of it's existence had been vaporized. The only things on the roof were the ten sorcerers and Chenley, all dead.  
  
"We did it!"  
  
The cry rang out as the Draconians slowly descended back to the ground. There was much cheering and many hugs once they landed, and many were directed at Van and Adrina, the wielders of the pendants. Adrina smiled and hugged everyone who approached her, but she felt odd. The power of the Draconians had drained her and she felt very tired. While talking to the Draconians, her vision blurred and she had to blink several times before it cleared. After a while, she began to feel sick as well and wanted nothing more than to lay down and sleep.  
  
Folken noticed her behavior. "Rina love, are you all right?"  
  
"What?" Adrina stared at him blankly for a moment, trying to comprehend what he said. "Uh...Oh yes! I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure?" Folken prodded.  
  
"Yes, why?"  
  
"You're acting strangely," Folken replied.  
  
"I'm just a little tired," Adrina smiled, "I'll be fine once I..." She trailed off as everything around her faded to black.  
  
Folken caught her as she fell and laid her down on the ground. He held her hand in his as he called to her. "Rina, wake up."  
  
"What happened to them?" A Draconian woman asked.  
  
"I don't know," Folken answered, then realized the woman had said "them". He looked to his right and saw that Van was laying on the ground also, a worried looking Hitomi at his side, Golan cradled in her arms. Folken turned back to his wife.  
  
"Rina love, please wake up."  
  
Adrina made no move or sign that she heard him. He patted her hand hoping to awaken her but to no avail. He wished he knew what was wrong with her so he could at least try to help her. A crowd had gathered around them but Folken barely noticed as he squeezed Adrina's hand, hoping for some response but receiving none.  
  
A sudden thought struck him that chilled his blood. Adrina and Van had both passed out at the same time. Were they suffering some sort of reaction from the destruction of Zeus? They had been so occupied with the fact that there was a way to destroy Zeus that they never considered there might be repercussions. What if as a last laugh, Zeus killed the Draconians who wielded the pendants?  
  
"No," Folken said. He wouldn't lose Adrina, he couldn't. "No, Adrina. You can't leave me, I won't let you. Wake up Adrina. Wake up!" There was no movement in her pale face. "Rina love, please, I'm begging you, don't leave me. I need you! You are the only reason I'm alive. Adrina! Adrina, listen to me! Adrina!"  
  
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Cliffhanger: Is Adrina really dead? What about Van? Read the epilogue to find out! 


	12. Epilogue: Clearing in the Forest

The jade dress swished around her legs as she walked through the forest. Any who caught a glimpse of her through the trees would think they had just seen a forest goddess or something else as beautiful and mysterious. The scent of the flowers she cradled in her arms invaded her nostrils as she passed through the trees and into the clearing, her destination.  
  
She walked across the meadow and knelt in front of the carved headstones. She deposited on each a bouquet of flowers and said a prayer for them. They had died in Zaibach during which was later dubbed "the Zeus Wars". They had given their lives for what they believed in as she honored them for it.  
  
A rustle of bushes behind her caught her attention and she turned to see what it was. She relaxed when Folken entered the clearing.  
  
"I thought I'd find you here," he stated.  
  
Adrina smiled. "You know me too well."  
  
Folken crossed the clearing and knelt down beside her in front of the graves. "It's hard to believe it's been a year already."  
  
Adrina stared at the gravestones, one silver, one gold, and nodded. "If the sorcerers hadn't corrupted them, they'd still be alive."  
  
"They made their choice," Folken reminded, "there was nothing we could've done to change their minds."  
  
"I know," Adrina admitted.  
  
They stared at the graves in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Folken broke the silence. "We should get back to the palace. Lunch was almost ready when I left and if we aren't back before it's served, Van is likely to send the entire army after us."  
  
Adrina laughed. "All right, let's head back."  
  
Folken stood and helped Adrina to her feet. He entwined his fingers with hers and they headed back to their palace.  
  
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Yeah! It's finished!!!!! Thank you so much to Gwuinivyre for reviewing this story. You're the only reason I continued it after the first few chapters. This story was for you, Gwuinny.  
  
I know I kinda left a few things hanging (i.e. What about Merle and Zane, what happened to Adrina and Van) but I'm hoping to write one more story and make this a trilogy. I don't know when I'll start it, but I think I'm going to make the main character Folken and Adrina's daughter. Let me know if you would like me to continue the story with their daughter as the main character. Thanks for reading!!! Love much, Candyce 


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